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THE VICINITY OF ASKERN 



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ASKEEN 

AND ITS 

MINERAL SPRINGS; 

TOGETHER WITH A 

SKETCH OF THE NATURAL HISTORY, 

AND A 

BRIEF TOPOGRAPHY, 
OF THE IMMEDIATE NEIGHBOURHOOD. 

BY 

EDWIN LANKESTER, M.D. ; F.L.S.; 

MEMBER OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS, LONDON ; 

LECTURER ON MATERIA MEDICA AND THERAPEUTICS ; 

SOMETIME HOUSE PHYSICIAN AT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL ; 

PHYSICIAN TO THE FARRINGDON GENERAL DISPENSARY, &c. 



LONDON : 
JOHN CHURCHILL, PRINCES STREET, SOHO. 

MnCCdLII. 



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SECTION. 



MACNESIAN LIMESTONE FORMATION IN TH E VICINITY OF ASKERN. 



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- 



DONCASTER : 
fiARTUEY.'PRIIWBR*, BAWBER-GATE. 



TO 
EDWARD SCHOLFIELD, ESQ., M.D, 



My Dear Sir, 

Permit me to inscribe this little volume 
to you as a testimony of my sincere respect for 
your professional talents and moral excellence, and 
as an expression of my sense of the interest you 
have taken in its progress, as well as the kindness 
with which you have assisted me in collecting many 
of the materials necessary for its execution. 

I could have wished that the work had been 
more worthy of your acceptance, but such as it is I 
trust you will receive it as the best tribute I could 
offer of my esteem for your character, and the value 
I attach to your friendship* 

I remain, my dear Sir, 

Your's very sincerely, 

EDWIN LANKESTER, 

London, June, 1842. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



My readers will not perhaps deem it out of place, if I state 
here the origin of the following pages. 

I became a few years ago, a temporary resident in the neigh- 
bourhood of Askern, and, taking an interest in the natural objects 
of the surrounding district, was led to inquire into the sources 
and virtues of its medicinal springs. Mr. Brewerton's work on 
the same subject being out of print, it was intimated to me that 
a new edition would be acceptable to, in fact was urgently called 
for by, the inhabitants and visitors of Askern. My intention, in 
the first instance, was to adopt this suggestion, but, as I pro- 
ceeded, new matter so accumulated, that I found it would be 
more difficult to incorporate it with the original book, than to 
write a new one. 

Should I succeed in exciting an interest in a locality which 
has afforded me much satisfaction and amusement, I shall be 
rewarded for my trouble ; and, more especially will this be the 
case, should I contribute, in some degree, to the comfort and 
restoration of persons seeking the inestimable blessing health. 

An explanation may be expected of the delay that has arisen 
in bringing out this volume, which was announced for publication 
upwards of a year ago, when the materials had all been collected, 
and some sheets had passed through the press ; I then somewhat 
unexpectedly removed to London, where other professional occu- 
pations have almost entirely engrossed my time and attention. 
I trust that my friends and the public will deem this a sufficient 
apology for what might at first sight, appear unnecessary pro- 
crastination. 

E. L. 

43, Hart-street; Bloomsbury-square, June, 1842. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER I. 

History of Askern and its Vicinity. 

Section i. — History of the Village of Askern. — Name — Hotels — 
School. — Antiquities. — Ancient Camp. — Pool. 

Section ii. — Villages in the Vicinity of Askern. — Campsall — 
Church — Mansions — Roman Coins. — Fenwick, Moss, Sutton, 
Norton, Owston, Skellow, Burghwallis, Kirk Smeaton, Little 
Smeaton, Smeaton Crags. — Botany and Geology. — Robin 
Hood's Well. — Roman Road. 

Section hi. — Sketch of the Natural History of Askern and its 
Vicinity. — Geology. — Magnesian Limestone formation. — 
Fossils. — The Mount.— Origin of holes in Pool. — Calcareous 
Tufa. — Deposition of Limestone. — Botany. — Lists of Plants 
and their Localities. — Zoology. — Animalcules. — Polyps. — 
Annelida. — Insects. — Crustacea. — Mollusca. — Fishes. — Birds 
— Mammalia. 

CHAPTER II. 

History and Analysis af the Mineral Waters. 

Section i. — History of the Spa. — Works of Dr. Short ; Pennant; 
Mr. Brewerton, and Mr. Murray. 

Section ii. — Chemical Analysis. — Physical and Chemical Proper- 
ties. — Experiments. — Solid and gaseous ingredients. 

Section hi. — On the origin of the Mineral Water of Askern, and 
its Contents. — Sulphuretted Hydrogen. — Experiments. — Pro- 
fessor Daniell's Views — Carbonic Acid and Nitrogen — Salts 
— Organic Matter — Glairine. 



Section iv. — History of the various Wells, and composition of 
their waters. — Manor Bath Well. — Terrace Bath Well. — 
Charity Bath Well— Rules.— South Parade Bath. 

CHAPTER III. 

On the Medical Uses of the Mineral Waters of Askern. 

Section i. — On the use of Mineral Waters in General. 

Section ii. — On the Circumstances attending the use of Mineral 
Waters. — Change of Air. — Absence from Business a — Exercise. 

Section hi. — On Baths and Bathing. — Cold, Warm, Tepid, Hot, 
and Vapour Baths. 

Section iv. — On the Medicinal properties of the Waters of 
Askern. — Water. — Sulphuretted Hydrogen. — Carbonic Acid. 
— Saline substances. 

Section v. — On the Diseases in which the Askern water is recom- 
mended. — General use of Sulphureous water. — Rheumatism. 
— Gout. — Cutaneous Diseases. — Indigestion. — Paralysis. — 
Scrofula. 

Section vi. — Rules to be observed during the use of the Askern 

Waters. 



CHAPTER I. 
HISTORY OF ASKERN AND ITS VICINITY. 



SECTION I. 

HISTORY OF THE VILLAGE OF ASKERN. 

Askern is a village in the Parish of Campsall, 
situated about seven miles north of Doncaster, and 
nine miles south of Pontefract ; it is built on the 
edge of a rocky declivity, and borders on a plain, 
which spreads extensively to the north and east. 
The houses mostly front the plain, and are protected 
backwards from the prevailing westerly winds by 
the abrupt elevation of the limestone rock, and from 
the same cause, the easterly gales are arrested in 
their course, and modified in their effects. Though 
not perhaps so favourably situated as many of the 
more celebrated watering places of this kingdom 
and the Continent, Askern possesses advantages 
to which, it is the object of this work to direct 
attention. 



2 VILLAGE OF ASKERN. 

Little of historical interest attaches to the village 
of Askern, and the antiquarian has sought in vain 
for any records or memorials of its earliest existence. 
Even the origin of its name is lost in obscurity, 
and only a guess can now be made at its etymology. 
Hunter, in his learned work on the Deanery of 
Doncaster, observes, " The name admits of analysis 
into the em, or receptaculum of the ask, the popular 
name for a species of newt which might inhabit the 
margin of the pool, which is a peculiar feature of 
Askern." With deference to so high an authority, 
I venture to suggest another etymology, and would 
derive the name from the Saxon word sceran, which 
means " a cliff or naked rock on the dry land. " 
It is very probable that this term in former times 
was peculiarly applicable to the hill behind the 
village, called the Mount, which, although now 
clothed with verdure, was at one time undoubtedly 
a naked rock, elevating its rugged sides above the 
adjoining plain. To those accustomed to trace the 
origin of words, it will be easily conceived how 
the Saxon word might assume its present mode of 
spelling, by the prefixing a, changing c into k, and 
dropping or changing the vowels. In fact, at the 
present time the word is spelt indifferently, Askern, 
Askerne, Askron, or Askeron. 

At the time of the Conquest, this domain was 
held by the family of the Foliots, who had extensive 
possessions in this part of the country ; it passed 



VILLAGE OF ASKERN. 3 

successively into the hands of the Newmarches, 
Gascoignes, Gargraves, and others. Miss Brooke 
of Gate forth, as heiress of the late Humphrey Os- 
baldeston, Esq., is at present a large proprietor, 
and Lady of the Manor. The tithe belonged for- 
merly to the Humfreys ; it is now in the possession 
of the Mellish family. 

The earliest historical notice of Askern, is in 
the 44, Edward III., " when at the sheriff's turn for 
Osgodcross, held at Graystones, the jury present, on 
behalf of the town of Norton, that the people of 
Askern are bound to cleanse a certain part of Askern 
pool, which is a common water course, and that 
they have neglected to do so, in consequence of 
which the King's highway is overflowed and drowned, 
so that neither horse nor foot passengers can go 
along it." * 

Up to a comparatively recent period, Askern 
had not been a place of much general resort, and 
little or no temptation besides its Mineral Waters 
was held out to the valetudinarian to induce him to 
select it as a temporary residence. Mr. Brewerton, 
in his " Treatise on the Mineral Water of Askern," 
which was published in 1818, speaks of it in the 
following terms : — " As the village consists of farm 
houses and the cottages of labourers, the accommo- 
dations for visitors were, till lately, below mediocrity. 
Prior to the erection of the Hotel, there was only one 

* Hunter. 



4 VILLAGE OF ASKERX. 

mean public -house, the Swan, and its principal 
recommendation was the honest bluntness of the 
landlord, Thomas Hackin, which overbalanced for 
a time, the coarse rusticity and inelegance of the 
accommodations. Besides this, there was a board- 
ing house, where a good table and comfortable beds 
were provided, but the greater number of visitors 
had private lodgings in the village, almost every 
cottage being converted into a lodging house." 

Since this period, however, the increasing num- 
ber of visitors, has induced the proprietors in the 
village to engage in useful improvements, and at 
the present time, Askern boasts of several exten- 
sive buildings for the accommodation of strangers. 
The largest of these is the Hotel, which was built 
in the year 1808 ; it is pleasantly situated on the 
rising ground, on which the village stands, com- 
manding a view of the lake, bath-houses, and the 
surrounding country. The Swan Hotel, little, if at 
all, inferior in point of convenience to the former, 
was built in 1817 by its present proprietor, Mr. 
Haigh, and is now a principal place of public ac- 
commodation in Askern. Besides the Hotels there 
are good Inns at which the daily visitor may be 
accommodated. 

Upon the terrace, below the Mount, is an ele- 
gant Mansion winch was erected by Dr. Oxley, in 
1826. The wings of this building are occupied as 
lodging houses, the centre being inhabited by Dr. 



VILLAGE OF ASKERN". 5 

Oxley, who has, since his residence in the place, 
taken a lively interest in its welfare ; and, as phy- 
sician to the Bath Charity, still assiduously devotes 
the fruit of his long experience to the relief of those 
whom this excellent institution enables to resort here 
for the benefit of the waters. 

Within the last few years many new houses 
have been built, and comfortable lodgings can be 
procured for all classes of visitors. 

It was long a matter of regret to many visitors 
at Askem, that there was no nearer place of public 
worship than the parish Church at Campsall. This 
deficiency was removed by the erection of the 
Chapel in the years 1824 — 5, which was built by 
subscription, on a plot of ground purchased of 
Henry Key worth, Esq. It was originally intended 
for the use of all denominations of Christians " hold- 
ing the divinity of Jesus Christ," but arrangements 
never having been made for the supply of preachers 
by other classes of Christians, it has been entirely 
supplied by the, Wesleyan Methodists, and the 
chapel is at present the property of the Confe- 
rence of that body. It is a neat and commodious 
building, with sittings for one hundred and fifty 
persons. Services, conducted by local preachers, 
are held every Sunday morning and evening. 

During the past year, a National School has 
been established in Askern ; it has a double school 
room capable of containing 150 children, for whose 
b 3 



6 VILLAGE OF ASKERX. 

instruction, a master and mistress have been pro- 
cured from London. The last Report of the 
Doncaster Board of Education gives the following 
account of this institution ; " These schools have 
been built upon a site granted by Miss Brooke, 
and the cost of erection will be, principally, de- 
frayed by the Incumbent," (the Rev. A. B. Wright- 
son,) "aided by contributions of £50. each, received 
from Miss Brooke and Mr. Greenwood ; £20. from 
Mr. Yarburgh of Heslington, and materials from 
Mr. Yarborough of Camp's Mount, to the value of 
about £45." The number of scholars at present 
(April, 1840,) is 113, 80 boys, and 33 girls. The 
small number of girls is accounted for by the exist- 
ence of the Campsall Female Friendly Society, 
which admits and educates 60 girls from the 
neighbourhood. 

On the left hand side of the road leading to 
York, past the Swan Hotel, is an uneven piece 
of ground called the Hall-garth, which is the spot 
on which stood the mansion kno\Afcn by the name of 
Askern Hall : it was built by Toby Humfrey, Esq., 
and was once, undoubtedly, the pride and ornament 
of the place, but scarcely a vestige of it is left. The 
ground is irregular from the remains of the building 
that are now covered by the green sod ; some in- 
teresting relics have been found here, and amongst 
them, a stone, bearing the coat of arms of the 
Humfreys, which is now in the possession of Mr. 
Mellor, of Askern. 



VILLAGE OF ASKERN. 7 

One of the principal objects that attract atten- 
tion at Askern, is the mass of Magnesian Limestone, 
called the Mount, that rises abruptly from the level 
of the surrounding plain, forming an elevated ridge, 
seventy or eighty feet in height, and extending 
north and south for about five or six hundred 
feet. At first, this elevation might be taken for an 
artificial production, but an examination of the rock 
of which it is formed, proves that it is composed of 
regular strata lying in an undisturbed state. From 
this point a fine view of the surrounding country is 
obtained, " The village, lake, and baths, and the 
well-cultivated fields of Norton occupy the fore- 
ground ; in the distance, the towers and spires of 
several towns and villages arrest the eye, and the 
mansion of Lord Downe, at Cowick, forms, on a 
clear afternoon, an interesting object. The view is 
closed by the wolds of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, 
as they approach on the northern and southern 
shores of the Humber. The prospect in other 
directions is le^ extensive, but over a richly culti- 
vated tract of country, forming gentle undulations 
of hill and dale, and embellished with numerous 
plantations and gentlemen's seats." * 

Although the Mount must have offered advan- 
tages as a place for military operations, no remains 
have been found to shew that it was used for this 
purpose. That the district was the scene of activity 

* Brewerton. 



8 TILLAGE OF ASKERX. 

during the period of the Roman sway in this country, 
there can be little doubt, from the fact of Roman 
coins and armour having been found, at Camps 
Mount, Skelbrook, and other places in the neigh- 
bourhood. A relic also, of probably an earlier date 
than Roman, is in the possession of Dr. Oxley. It 
consists of part of a stone mill for grinding corn, 
of the most simple construction ; its form is conical, 
a cavity exists at the top which contained the com, 
and from this proceed two small tubular cavities, 
one for moving the mill, the other for carrying away 
the pounded material. 

On the southern side of Askern there is a large 
uncultivated piece of ground called Sutton Com- 
mon. At its south-western extremity, is a portion 
elevated above the surrounding flat, and upon this 
are to be seen, very distinctly, the remains of an 
ancient camp. There are at present existing con- 
siderable parts of two squares on which the works 
stood ; these were protected by a double row of 
embankments, which can now be traced only on one 
side. In the interior of the squares are found several 
oval or square portions of raised ground, varying 
in size from four to twelve feet ; there are some of 
larger dimensions, which occupy the centre of one 
of the squares ; — these elevations stand out the 
more prominently from their being surrounded by a 
narrow trench. There is a sunk roadway leading 
directly through the whole camp. The soil im- 



VILLAGE OP ASKERN. 9 

mediately beneath the embankment and squares 
consists of sand and clay, and differs very much 
from that of the common surrounding it, which is 
composed of peat-earth for several feet deep. In 
conjunction with my friend Mr. Schmitz, I made 
some search with a spade, in order to ascertain if 
any remains could be found that would throw light 
on the history of this ancient work, but, with the 
exception of a few large stones, that presented 
evidence of having been worn in the situation they 
were placed in, we saw nothing to assist our con- 
jectures as to its origin. In the neighbourhood, I 
cannot find that there is any history or tradition 
connected with this spot. There can be no doubt 
that there has been an encampment here, but whe- 
ther Roman, Saxon, or ancient British, admits 
perhaps of question. In favour of its having been 
Roman is the form of the work, which is similar to 
Roman works of this kind in other places. It is 
also situated between Doncaster and York, at both 
of which towns the Romans had stations, and is not 
far from the rig or way that existed between those 
two places. Roman coins have been found at 
Camps Mount; and the Parish of Campsall, in which 
this remain is situate, may have derived its name 
from the Roman campus. In favor of its being 
British or Saxon is its situation, as at the time it 
was formed, the whole district was probably thickly 
wooded, and would be an unlikely spot for the 



10 VILLAGE OF ASKERN. 

Romans to encamp upon ; but as a place of protec- 
tion against invaders, the Britons or Saxons would 
be likely to select such a situation. Although now 
in the midst of a swamp, it is probable from its 
geological structure, that it has always been quite 
dry, and was at one time surrounded by trees, the 
remains of which are at present very abundant 
around it ; they are found also through a great part 
of this level district. An eminent antiquaiy speak- 
ing of the fallen trees found at Hatfield Chace, 
about eight miles from Askern, and situate on the 
same level says, " that these trees were natives of 
the place and cut down by the Romans ; because 
the Britons, when defeated in battle 9 retired into 
such morasses and woods, and were secure, but 
continually making sallies out and retreats in again. 
By these sallies the Romans were so tormented, 
that public orders were issued out for the destroying 
all their woods ; and it is observable that the Em- 
peror Severus, who died at York, is said, in a few 
years, to have lost 50,000 men in this work, which 
was performed partly by fire, and partly by axes, &c. 
cutting down such as remained. The burnt wood 
and fircones, taken out of the mosses, have upon 
them evident marks of the tools wherewith they were 
hewed down; these, by their falling, occasioned the 
mosses, by the stagnating of the waters and per- 
petual deterrations. " * On Hatfield Chace there 

* Thoresby, in Miller's Doncaster, p. 302. 



TILLAGE OF ASKEKN. 11 

are the remains of a Saxon camp, and history re- 
lates, that a battle was fought there between Cead- 
walla, King of the Britons, and Penda, the Pagan 
King of Mercia, against Edwin, the first Christian 
King of Northumberland, in which Edwin, and 
Offride his eldest son, were slain. 

One of the most remarkable features of Askern, 
is the Pool, a large piece of water covering about 
six or seven acres, which contributes to render the 
aspect of the place more pleasing, whilst the several 
boats on its surface, offer to the visitor a healthy 
and popular amusement. It is supplied by several 
springs, some of which empty themselves immedi- 
ately into the Pool, and the water is retained within 
its present bounds by artificial means. An ac- 
cumulation has evidently existed here from time 
immemorial, as one of the first incidents mentioned 
with regard to Askern, in the public history of the 
country, relates to the keeping of this water from 
overflowing the highways. In the midst of the 
Pool, two islands have been made, which form 
picturesque objects from the adjacent walks. The 
depth of this lake is very variable, in some parts not 
exceeding one or two feet, whilst in others it is not 
less than twenty feet. The latter depth is attained 
in one of those "profound pits" spoken of by Dr. 
Short, in his work on the Mineral Waters of York- 
shire, published in 1734, " the depth whereof, " he 
states at that time, et was not known. " On a bright 



12 VILLAGE OF ASKERN. 

day the bottom of these pits may be clearly seen ; 
their sides are very precipitous, and are covered 
with various kinds of aquatic plants. To the south 
of the Pool is another piece of water, into which 
several springs empty themselves ; it has also a 
depth of eighteen or twenty feet. About a mile to 
the south-east of Askern, is another Pool, covering 
seven or eight acres ; it is said to be very deep. 
The cause of these deep holes, is a subject of fre- 
quent speculation amongst those who visit Askern, 
and many ingenious conjectures have been made 
as to their origin ; they are, however, nothing more 
than well known phenomena, which geological 
science is capable of explaining. 

Askern cannot boast of being the birth-place of 
those that are known to fame; it was however notori- 
ous, during some part of the last century, as being 
the residence of Joshua Iveson, who had the 
reputation of a wily wizard, and was consulted by 
his credulous countrymen from far and near. Such 
was the disturbance produced by his predictions, 
that the magistrates were obliged to interfere ; they 
stopped his proceedings, and ordered his astrologi- 
cal books and apparatus to be burned. It was 
fortunate for the poor man that he escaped thus 
easily, for the public have often turned round upon 
these unhappy creatures of their own credulity, and 
made the witch and the wizard pay the cost of 
popular folly. 



VILLAGE OF ASKERN. 13 

Askern, being more a place of resort for the 
invalid, than for those who seek, in change of scene, 
a relief from the toils of business, or the listlessness 
of inactivity, has few attractions in the form of 
what are called public amusements. To the fash- 
ionable and the gay, it would certainly come under 
the designation of a stupid place ; to those, however, 
who can derive pleasure from fields, and woods, and 
water, from the never-failing variety of rural scenes 
and objects, Askern will afford abundant subjects 
to employ and interest the mind. Nature does not 
here, it must be allowed, present her bolder and 
more majestic forms, but there is ample field to 
gratify that hallowed feeling which 

" Is born with all, the love of Nature's works." 

There are many pleasant walks in the neigh- 
bourhood of Askern, and it is only to be regretted, 
that the parishioners do not pay more attention to 
keeping them in good order ; if this improvement 
were effected, it would add much to the comfort 
and pleasure of the invalid and visitor, as well as 
advance their own interest. 



14 VICINITY OF ASKERN. 



SECTION II. 

VILLAGES IN THE VICINITY OF ASKERN. 



The following short notices of villages and places 
near Astern, have been drawn up with a view to 
assist the visitor in exploring the neighbourhood ; 
they may not be uninteresting to those also who 
reside in the district. 

Campsall. — This village is situated about a mile 
to the west of Askern, and may be reached either 
by the high road, or by a footpath across the fields ; 
the latter is an agreeable and picturesque walk, — 
the church and the hall, the park of Campsall, 
with its woods and lake, diversifying the scene. 
The houses in this village bear marks of great age, 
and whilst the older are falling to decay, no new 
ones supply their places. The last three census 
present the population as nearly stationary. The 
following table, copied from the report of the 



VICINITY OF ASKERN. 15 

Doncaster Board of Education, gives the increase 
and decrease of the several villages in the parish of 
Campsall, during the last thirty years. 



Campsall Inhabitants, 

Askern 

Norton 

Moss 

Fenwick 

Sutton 



1840. 


1821. 


1811. 


386. 


389. 


393. 


256. 


159. 


113. 


643. 


668. 


558. 


269. 


242. 


109. 


286. 


295. 


252. 


184. 


145. 


105. 



Total 2024. 1898. 1530. 



The church stands upon a hill at the top 
of the village, and its handsome tower forms a 
prominent object for some distance round about. 
Hunter, in his History of the Deanery of Doncaster, 
has the following notice of this structure. " This is 
one of the few churches of this deanery, in which 
the ground plan was laid down upon the sacred 
symbol of the Christian faith. The design is a little 
obscured by the side aisles, a later addition, which 
correspond with the shaft of the cross extending 
nearly as far as the transepts ; and there is this 
peculiarity, that the tower does not rise at the in- 
tersection of the limb, but is at the west end, though 
it is evidently of older date than even the other 
parts of the fabric. The four arches at the inter- 
section, are, however, too visible to allow of any 
doubt that such was the design, and those arches 
are well deserving attention, as very early instances 
of the pointed arch; the pointed arch, with that 



16 J VICINITY OF ASKERN. 

species of rude ornament, the zigzag mouldings, 
which are classed by writers on this subject with 
the decorative part of Saxon architecture. There 
can be no doubt that much of the church at Camp- 
sail is the church that was erected in the first 
century after the Conquest, by the joint efforts of 
the Lacis and the Reinevilles. It is dedicated to 
St. Mary Magdalene. The tower has some re- 
markable features. The door of the entrance has 
semicircular arches, each springing from slender 
cylindrical pillars, having the kind of capital called 
Saxon. Above it are several windows each in 
niches, resembling the door-way. The whole 
church, but especially the chancel, conveys an 
impression of extent and grandeur. There is a 
handsome oak screen between the nave and chancel, 
which was once surmounted by a figure of our 
Saviour extended on the cross, as appears from the 
following inscription, cut on the screen :" — 

Let fal downe thy ne and lift up thy hart ; 
Behold thy Maker on yond cross al to torn ; 
Remember his wondis that for the did smart ; 
Gotten without syn and on a virgin bora ; 
Al his hed percid with a crown of thorn. 
Alas man, thy hart ought to brest in too. 
Beware of the devyl when he blawis his horn 
And praye thy gode aungel convey the 

The last word is wanting. 

There are no monumental memorials of the 
older aristocracy of Campsall ; the Braytons, Saint 



VICINITY OF ASKERN. 17 

Pauls, and Fletchers : but there are several of the 
later families ; the Yarboroughs, Franks, Ramsdens, 
and Humfreys. 

At the east end of the church is a beautiful 
tablet executed by Flaxman, consisting of a group 
in alto-relievo, of the sick, the aged, the blind, 
and the young, who are receiving attention from two 
females ; this monument was erected in 1794, in 
memory of Thomas Yarborough, Esq., his wife, 
and several branches of their family. 

Near the church is Campsall Hall, erected by 
the late Bacon Frank, Esq., who was, for many 
years, an active magistrate for the West Riding of 
Yorkshire. The house is at present occupied by 
Charles Thorold Wood, Esq. 

One of. the ancestors of the Frank family who 
owned the estate at Campsall, was Richard Frank, 
Esq., Recorder of Done aster and Pontefract, and 
one of the earliest members of the Society of 
Antiquaries. He made a considerable collection 
of manuscripts with the view of writing a topography 
of the West Riding ; these, together with the papers 
of Dr. Johnston, of Pontefract, who amassed a still 
larger amount of materials for forming a topography 
of the county, are carefully preserved in the library 
at Campsall. (Hunter, Vol. 2, p. 466.) 

The village has for many years been favored 
by the existence of a Female School, which was 
founded by the Misses Frank ; these ladies, feeling 
c3 



18 VICINITY OF ASKERN. 

interested in the welfare of their humbler neighbours, 
undertook to educate, at their father's house, a few- 
poor girls in reading, sewing, &c. The school, at 
first, depended solely upon the exertions of these 
three young ladies ; they defrayed the whole of its 
expenses, and taught the children, (sometimes to 
the number of sixty,) without the least assistance 
from any other person. The institution thus com- 
menced, was not allowed to cease when its founders 
could no longer attend to its duties. The neigh- 
bouring gentry came forward to its support ; and 
about thirty years since, the pretty rustic building 
that stands on the road to Norton, was erected, at 
an expense of about ^£500, for the accommodation 
of the scholars, and a resident mistress was ap- 
pointed. The school is connected with a Benefit 
Society, the principal features of which are, that 
each member on her marriage receives two pounds 
from the private funds ; ten shillings on the birth 
of each child ; and when disabled by sickness, four 
shillings a week. On the death of a member, two 
pounds are allowed towards paying the funeral ex- 
penses. Members who have contributed to the fund 
forty years, are allowed four pounds per annum, 
and are exonerated from further payments: this 
regulation came in force the present year (1840.) 
The annual contribution of each member is six 
shillings and sixpence. This institution has been 
the means of effecting much real good in the neigh- 
hood, and is well worthy of imitation. 



VICINITY OF ASKERN. 19 

A Society for the Acquisition of Knowledge, 
was established in 1837 ; its library, consisting of 
about 300 volumes, was formed by purchases from 
funds raised by the villagers, and by presents from 
Mrs. Wood, and Mr. Yarborough. 

On an elevated position overlooking the village, 
stands Camp's Mount, formerly Brayton Hall, the 
seat of George Cooke Yarborough, Esq. This 
mansion, commanding an agreeable and extensive 
prospect, is surrounded by a well wooded park ; 
near the house are several very fine specimens of 
the cedar of Lebanon, the growth of upwards of a 
century ; one of these trees was blown down by a 
high wind, on the last day of the year 1830, in which 
ninety fine zones could be distinctly counted. 

During the past summer, (1840,) an interesting 
discovery was made by some workmen who were 
employed in forming a new road in the grounds of 
Camp's Mount. Whilst taking away the external 
soil from the rock below, they came upon some 
stonework, which when cleared, resembled the 
foundation of a house ; near it a hole was perceived 
in the rock, which contained a large number of coins 
about the size of a farthing. They were covered over 
with a blue rust, and on being examined, were found 
to be Roman copper coins or medals. There 
were about two hundred of them, which are now 
in the possession of Mr. Yarborough. They are 
in a good state of preservation, and on most of them 



20 VICINITY OF ASKERN. 

the inscriptions are readily made out. On one side 
they bear the head of an Emperor or Governor, 
whilst the reverse has some emblematic design. 
Although the head is in many instances the same, 
yet in every case the reverse side presents a differ- 
ent design. The inscriptions on the coins are the 
names of Gallienus, Claudius, Quintilius, Tetricus, 
and Victorinus. These names belong to the history 
of Rome's declining greatness. Gallienus was the 
son of Aurelian, and was invested by his father 
with the joint administration of the government of the 
Roman Empire, about A.D. 253. He was one of 
the most accomplished, but at the same time the 
most indolent and luxurious of the Roman Em- 
perors. It was during his reign that there were 
so many pretenders to the imperial purple ; these, 
although only nineteen in number, were called, in 
imitation of Grecian history, the Thirty Tyrants ; 
amongst the names transmitted to us, we find 
those of Victorinus and Tetricus. Victorinus, the 
son of Victorina, early fell a sacrifice at Cologne to 
the revenge of his fellow citizens. Victorina, though 
not occupying the throne, possessed full power in 
the provinces of Gaul, and was enabled successively 
to invest her favourites Marius and Tetricus with 
the sovereignty, and in their names she exercised 
all authority. Tetricus reigned over Gaul, Spain, 
and Britain, and at last treacherously delivered 
himself into the hands of the Emperor Aurelian. 



VICINITY OF ASKERN. 21 

Claudius the successor of Gallienus, was, from his 
successful efforts against the Goths, called Gothic 
Claudius, and was one of the few Roman Emperors 
who added lustre to their high station. Quintilius, 
the brother of Claudius, assumed the imperial 
dignity in Aquileia on the death of his brother ; 
he was bled to death by his own orders, after a 
reign of only seventeen days. 

From this account, it would appear that the 
period at which these medals were struck, was A.D. 
260 — 270, and that they were designed to com- 
memorate various events that had occurred in the 
reigns of the above Emperors. 

For what purpose they were amassed, and buried 
in such a place, it is not quite clear ; as their 
pecuniary value would not, at any time, have been 
great, it is probable that they were collected by an 
individual, as memorials of the eventful times in 
which they were issued, or that they were deposited 
as a memorial of the period in which some building- 
was erected.* 

* On this last supposition, my erudite friend, Mr. Schmitz, 
observes in a letter, " the conjecture that the coins have been de- 
posited as a memorial of the period in which some building was 
erected I cannot share, for on such occasions, only such medals as 
were coined under the one emperor then reigning were deposited, 
and moreover, one or two specimens of all the coins that were 
struck in that year in which the foundations of the building were 
laid. I still adhere to my old conjecture that the money was de- 
posited by some poor soldier in danger, who wished above all 
things, to save his little stock." 



22 VICINITY OF ASKERN. 

Not far from the place where the coins were 
found, the workmen struck upon a kind of paved 
way, extending several hundred yards, one por- 
tion of which projects in a circular form on each 
side ; the stones of which it is composed are 
the Magnesian Limestone of the neighbourhood ; 
on the upper surface they are of a dark colour, 
and are much worn. To what period this work 
may be referred it is difficult to say, but its great 
depth beneath the soil indicates that it has been 
covered a considerable length of time. 

Fenwick is situated on the extensive sweep of 
flat country to the north east of Askern. The once 
celebrated family of Hastings had their residence 
here ; they are now extinct, and but little remains 
of their princely mansion to attest its former 
magnificence. 

Several pieces of armour have been found here 
and near Sykehouse by persons employed in drain- 
ing this district. The bones of animals of various 
kinds have also been taken from the peat soil; 
those of the stag have beeu met with in many places, 
and specimens of the antlers are to be seen in the 
village. Trees, chiefly the oak and the birch, are 
frequently found ; Mr. Moate, of Fenwick, informs 
me that, during a season of drought, many were 
dug up, their locality being indicated by the absence 
of vegetation over the spot where they lay ; so 
closely did this dearth of vegetation follow the form 



VICINITY OF ASKERN. 23 

of the tree, that the course of the trunk and 
branches was distinctly marked upon the surface 
of the earth. 

Moss is two miles to the east of Askern ; its 
name, like that of Fenwick, is probably derived" 
from the natural features of the flat district in which 
they are situated. 

Sutton is a small village about a mile south of 
Askern ; it may be reached by a pleasant walk 
which passes over the Mount, and through the 
fields. 

Norton, about half a mile beyond Campsall, 
is the largest village in the parish. The family of 
the Ramsdens formerly held property here, which, 
together with an estate at Fockerby, was given by 
Mrs. Mary Ramsden to trustees, for the erection of 
additional buildings, at Catherine Hall, Cambridge, 
and for the support of six fellows and ten scholars 
at that college. She directed that they should be 
called Skern's fellows and scholars, out of regard 
for the memory of her kinsman, Robert Skern, who 
had heretofore been a benefactor to the same 
college ; and that natives of Yorkshire and Lin- 
colnshire should have the preference. There was 
formerly a free chapel or priory at Norton, of which 
but little now remains. 

Owston is a pleasant village situated to the 
south of Askern ; it may be reached by the road 
leading to the church, and by a footpath which 



24 VICINITY OF ASKERN. 

passes through the grounds of Owston House, the 
seat of Philip Davies Cooke, Esq.. From Owston 
there is a foot road to Skellow; a walk through 
these villages and Burghwallis will be found one 
of the most agreeable in the neighbourhood. 

The Church, which is almost hidden from view 
by the lofty trees which surround it, is rich in 
monumental memorials, interesting to the anti- 
quarian and lover of art. Amongst those which 
the latter should seek are two beautiful monuments 
by Chantrey, erected to the memory of the late 
Mr. and Mrs. Bryan Cooke. There are also me- 
morials of the older aristocracy of Owston, one of 
which, to the memory of Robert Hatfield and his 
wife, bears the early date of 1409. 

Skellow is a neat village in the parish of 
Owston. Skellow Grange, the seat of Godfrey 
Higgins, Esq., will be interesting to many as the 
scene of the literary labours of the late Mr. Hig- 
gins, the results of which have been given to the 
world, in his History of the Celtic Druids, and in 
a posthumous work called Anacalypsis, an attempt 
to draw aside the veil of the Saitic Isis. Mr. 
Higgins entitled himself to the gratitude of his 
countrymen, by the energetic manner in which he 
so successfully endeavoured to reform the manage- 
ment of the Lunatic Asylum at York, and for the 
principal part he took in the establishment of the 
Pauper Lunatic Asylum at Wakefield. 



VICINITY OP ASKERN. 25 

Burghwallis, a clean neat village, is situate a 
mile and a half to the south-west of Askern ; it 
stands on one of the limestone hills of the district, 
and, on approaching Askern from the Done aster 
road, its church, parsonage-house, and hall, sur- 
rounded by lofty trees, form very picturesque objects. 
The church is of the simplest form, consisting only 
of nave and chancel, with a tower at the west end. 
The same kind of double window under a semicir- 
cular arch is seen here, as at Campsall and Owston, 
which Hunter thinks an indication that the three 
churches were built at nearly the same period. 

In one or two of the above named villages, it 
is much to be wished, that a little more attention 
were given to the footpaths and roads. It is not 
only unpleasant to the visitor to meet with dirt and 
disorder where cleanliness and neatness should ex- 
ist ; but such a state is also opposed to the health 
and morality of the inhabitants. 

Kirk Smeaton, is about three miles from 
Askern. The church stands pleasantly on the 
brow of a hill ; " the nave and chancel," says 
Hunter, " may, without the slightest chance of 
error, be referred to a period before that of Domes- 
day Book. They are separated, as usual, by an arch 
which springs from cylindrical columns, and is 
ornamented with zigzag mouldings ; but here the 
columns are clustered and the arch itself is pointed. 
The capitals are Saxon. The windows have been 

D 



26 VICINITY OF ASKERN. 

altered, and a tower and a north aisle have been 
added at a later period." 

Little Smeaton, in the parish of Woniersley, 
is built on the side of another hill, on the opposite 
bank of the river Went. Going along the banks of 
this stream, which is about 30 feet above the level 
of the sea, we are introduced to a district known 
by the name of Smeaton Prags, which though not 
very generally known, is well worthy of a visit. 
The river, here very narrow, runs through a valley 
extending from Went Bridge to Smeaton, the sides 
of which are formed by steep and precipitous 
cliffs of Magnesian Limestone, which, in many 
places, projecting their white rugged surfaces from 
amongst the verdure of the woods and hill sides, 
form exceedingly picturesque objects. The valley 
extends about a mile and half, and, from the various 
irregularities which its broken cliffs present, the 
cottages of the peasantry, the woods on the hill 
sides, the villages of Smeaton and Went Bridge, 
and the distant prospects obtained from the hills, 
one of which is about 380 feet high, exhibits a 
variety of scenery which few spots in this part of 
Yorkshire can afford. It is, however, only acces- 
sible to the pedestrian, and attempts are constantly 
being made to exclude even him from the enjoyment 
of this pleasant walk ; but it is to be hoped that a 
way will always exist for the rambler amongst these 
agreeable and interesting scenes. 



VICINITY OF ASKERN. 27 

Iii this district the Botanist will find many of 
the objects of his search, which do not occur in 
any other locality of the neighbourhood. On the 
borders of the Went, the flowering Bush (Butomus 
umbellatus) grows in great abundance, and in the 
midst of its waters the Yellow Water Lily (Nuphar 
luted), and the Arrowhead {Sagittaria sagittifolia) 
mingle their beautiful flowers ; whilst the Bull-rush 
(Scirpus lacustris) sends up its stems from six to 
ten feet in height, here and there forming little 
forests, that entirely conceal the stream. On the 
highest point of one of the hills, on some mounds 
that appear to be the remains of an ancient camp, 
the elegant Pasque-flower {Anemone Pulsatilla) 
grows in profusion ; and the delicate Wood-son-el 
(Oxalis Acetosella) is very plentiful in the planta- 
tions at the west end of the valley. * 

The Geologist also will find this one of the best 
places for examining the structure of the Magnesian 
Limestone, as well as for collecting the organic re- 
mains which it contains. The extensive quarries 
that were recently made at several points of the 
valley, and the working of which has been given up 
as a bad speculation, are the best spots for collecting 
geological specimens and making observations. At 
Went Bridge, the turnpike road between Doncaster 
and Ferrybridge passes through a deep cut made 
in the hill which rises abruptly on the north side of 
* For other Plants, see Catalogue. 



28 VICINITY OF ASKERX. 

the stream. Here the geologist has a good oppor- 
tunity of seeing the Magnesian Limestone as it 
overlays, what Sedgwick calls, the Lower Red Sand- 
stone. It is also a good general illustration of the 
manner in which rocks overlay each other. 

This valley seems to have been, in a great 
measure, formed by the denuding action of water ; a 
much mightier stream than that which now flows 
through this quiet glen, having once forced its 
waters through these rocks in its course to the ocean, 
which, at that period, cannot have been far distant. 
The collection of gravel at the eastern extremity of 
the valley, may have owed its origin to such a cause. 
Previous to the passage of the stream in this direc- 
tion, a considerable dislocation of the strata had 
probably occurred, and thus determined its original 
course. 

On the left side of the valley as we proceed to 
Went Bridge, on the top of one of the most elevated 
of its precipitous sides, are to be seen considerable 
remains of embankments. Some portions are so 
high as to present the appearance of mounds in 
the distance. This spot has doubtless been the 
scene of military operations, but, at what period, the 
imperfect state of the remains affords but little 
clue. They differ very much from those before 
referred to on Sutton Common ; the embankments 
are much higher, and the ground has fewer indi- 
cations of an artificial character, by which to judge 



VICINITY OP ASKERN. 29 

of the kind of works that existed upon it; their 
height would seem to indicate an earlier than 
Roman origin ; they are probably the remains of an 
ancient Brigantine camp. 

Robin Hood's Well is situated on the old 
north road, about midway between Ferrybridge and 
Doncaster, and also on the line of the great Roman 
road from Lincoln to York. From the bones, coins, 
and other relics found here, it has been conjectured 
that the Romans had a settlement near this spot. 
Hunter supposes that this Well may be one of the 
" fontes lucidi juxta publicos viarum transitus" 
which, according to the venerable Bede, King 
Edwin supplied with ladles for the refreshment of 
the traveller. This is rendered probable by the 
fact that Edwin had a villa regia at Doncaster. 

The virtues, piety, and misfortunes of King 
Edwin, have conspired to render him one of the 
most interesting characters in British history. His 
reign, which was to his subjects one of the happiest 
in the Saxon Heptarchy, continued seventeen years. 
Speaking of him, William of Malmesbury says, " not 
only the English, Scots, and Picts, but even the 
Orcades and all the British islands, dreaded his 
arms and adored his grandeur ; no public thief nor 
housebreaker was found in his time ; the adulterer 
was a stranger, and the spoiler of other men's goods 
afar off; his glory shines even to our own age with 
splendour." 

D 3 



30 VICINITY OF ASKERN. 

There is no authentic account of the well ever 
having been frequented by the famous individual 
from whom it takes its name. It is not, however, 
improbable that Robin Hood and his party of free- 
booters may have occasionally refreshed themselves 
at this spring, and thus have given to it the im- 
mortality of his name. 

Under the name of Roberts-place, this spot 
seems to have been in olden time a place of resort 
for games and amusement at the holydays of Easter, 
Whitsuntide, &c Braithwaite, in his Itinerarium 
Barnabae, has the following singular notice of this 
Well :— 

Nescit sitis artem modi, 
Puteum Roberti Hoodi 
Veni, et liquente vena 
Yincta catino catena 
Tollens sitim, parcum odi 
Solvens obolum custodi. 

Thirst knows neither mean nor measure, 
Robin Hood's Well was my treasure ; 
In a common dish enchained 
I my furious thirst restrained ; 
And, because I drank the deeper, 
I paid two farthings to the keeper. 

Evelyn, having visited it in 1654, thus writes: — 
" we all alighted in the high-way to drink at a 
crystal spring, which they call Robin Hood's Well ; 
neere it is a stone chaire, and an iron ladle, to drink 



VICINITY OF ASKERN. 31 

out of, chained to the seate." The ladle and seat 
are no longer to be seen, but in their place is a 
rustic dome, which, during the last century, was 
erected by the Earl of Carlisle, according to a design 
of Sir John Vanbrugh ; one of the Gales on this 
occasion wrote these verses : — 

Nympha fui quondam, latronibus hospita sylvae, 

Heu nimium sociis nota, Robine, tuis, 
Me pudet innocuos latices fudisse scelestis, 

Jamque viatori pocula tuta fero . 
En pietatis honos ! Comes hanc mihi Carliolensis 

JEdem sacravit, qua bibis, hospes, aquas. 

I venture to subjoin the following translation : — 

Here once a nymph, as friendly to the robber- band I stood, 

Alas too closely known, to thy companions Robin Hood, 

It shames me much, that my pure streams to wicked men were 

poured, 
But now the cup of safety to the traveller I afford, 
Behold the grateful tribute Carlisle's lord did raise, 
The dome wherein thou drinkest, stranger, speaks his praise. 

The Well is in the parish of Skelbrook, and 
stands opposite the entrance to the park, which is 
one of the oldest in the kingdom. About half a 
mile from the Well, and between it and Barnsdale 
Bar, is a small building called the Summer House, 
which was erected by the late Mr. Frank of Camp- 
sall ; it stands high, and commands a very exten- 
sive view of the surrounding country. 



32 VICINITY OF ASKERN. 

Roman Road. — On the old north road between 
Doncaster and Barnsdale Bar, are to be seen 
many vestiges of the old Roman Rig or Way ; 
it has been called the Watling Street Way, a name 
given to other roads supposed to have been made 
daring the time of the Roman invasion. These 
remains are on the left as we proceed north from 
Doncaster; in some places the bank is unbroken 
for a considerable distance, as in an enclosure near 
Barnsdale Bar ; whilst, in others, it has been 
destroyed to form part of the present high road, or 
has been levelled for the purpose of cultivation ; it 
is composed of loose portions of the limestone of the 
district, and has no pavement upon it. 

A Roman helmet was found, not long ago, near 
the Red House, as also several Roman coins near 
Robin Hood's Well; the coins bear similar images 
and superscriptions to those discovered at Camps 
Mount. 

In the neighbourhood are the remains of other 
roads, which have evidently been used by the 
Romans ; but it is probable that many of these 
were ways and tracts formed by our early British 
ancestors. * 

* Dr. Boothroyd in his History of Pontefract observes, " A 
vicinal way" (to the great road) " appears to have passed through 
the old town" (of Pontefract) " in a south direction to Darrington, 
Wentbridge, Smeaton, Campsall, and Hatfield." I have not been 
able to recognise any vestiges of such a way. 



VICINITY OF ASKERN. 33 

It would be inconsistent with the limits of this 
volume, to give any account of objects of interest 
that are situated at a greater distance than those 
above named. Amongst the places worthy of a 
visit, and within the compass of a day's excursion 
from Askern, may be mentioned the towns of Don- 
caster and Pontefract ; Sprotborough Hall and 
Gardens ; Conisborough Castle ; Roche Abbey ; 
the Rockingham China Manufactory, near Swin- 
ton ; Wentworth House ; Walton Hall, near 
Wakefield, the seat of Charles Waterton, Esq., 
and the Abbey Church of Selby. 



34 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



SECTION III. 



SKETCH OF THE NATURAL HISTORY OF ASKERN 
AND ITS VICINITY. 



To persons whose studies have been directed to a 
philosophical examination of the various productions 
of nature, there is no spot of the earth so desolate, 
nor any season of the year so dreary, as not to 
supply abundant matter of interest. In the following 
remarks I shall not write so much for the pro- 
fessed naturalist, as for the general reader, and with 
this view, I shall point out the most prominent 
objects of interest belonging to the Mineral, Vege- 
table, and Animal Kingdoms, as they have occurred 
to my own observation, without at all attempting to 
give a complete natural history of the district. 



ASKERN AND ITS VICINITY. 35 



I. GEOLOGY. 

Askern is situated upon, and about midway from 
the two extremes of a long line of secondary for- 
mation, extending from Nottingham, through the 
counties of York and Durham, to the borders of the 
Tyne, known by the name of Magnesian Limestone. 
It is exceedingly narrow, and runs almost directly 
north and south ; it is bounded on the east by the 
New Red Sandstone, and on the west by the Coal 
measures. Throughout nearly its whole course, it 
is elevated into a terrace or escarpement, which is 
intersected by the passage of rivers, and by vallies, 
formerly the beds of rivers ; these irregularities 
have arisenjfrom the various causes of disturbance, 
to which the earlier secondary strata have been 
more particularly exposed. The general inclination 
of this stratum is towards the east, where it dips 
under the new red sandstone ; this dip of the lime- 
stone is to be seen in the neighbourhood of Askern, 
although from the large accumulations of gravel and 
decomposed vegetable matter upon the sandstone, 
its relative position cannot easily be detected. On 
the west, the coal strata are inclined under the 
magnesian limestone, and have a mean dip of about 
one yard in twenty ; the limestone does not, however, 
lie in similar planes ; this is accounted for by the 
violent action to which the coal strata were exposed 



36 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

previous to the deposition of the limestone, which 
rests in an irregular manner, or uncon formally, on 
the great coal bed of this district ; as it is in some 
places, probably very near to, and in others, very 
distant from the coal, it cannot be depended on as 
an indication of the presence of coal in any given 
district. To those acquainted with the magnesian 
limestone, the variety of character which it presents 
in different districts, will be perfectly familiar ; 
portions of sandstone, of mountain limestone, and 
of other rocks are frequently blended with it. On 
the southern side of the Mount, a large deposit of 
this kind commences, which runs in a south-west 
direction, through the parks of Campsall and Camps 
Mount ; it afterwards takes a westerly course, and 
is seen at Smeaton and Womersley. Some animal 
remains have been occasionally found in this gravel ; 
as they belong to families of animals that at present 
inhabit the earth, this deposit must have been formed 
at a period very much later than the rocks on which 
it rests ; it may not only be separated into sections, 
each exhibiting the same general character through- 
out large districts, but maybe extensively subdivided 
according to the varied nature of its component 
parts. An eminent Geologist of the present day, 
(Sedgwick, Geological Transactions, vol. iii.) has 
lately pointed out several distinct groups in this 
formation, the principal direction of which, as they 
exist in the vicinity of Askern, may be seen on 



ASKERN AND ITS VICINITY. 37 

reference to the map. On the western side will be 
found the coal measures, which are composed of 
layers of clay, marl, sandstone, and thin beds of 
coal. The next line of formation, which has been 
by some referred to the coal measures, and by others 
to the magnesian limestone, is called the Lower Red 
Sandstone ; above this lies the great bed of the 
magnesian limestone, exhibiting, in some places, 
marl-slate, and marls of various colours, with com- 
pact and shelly limestone; the chief bulk is a 
yellow-coloured limestone, which is worked at 
Smeaton and many other places, and is used exten- 
sively in the construction of buildings. Sulphate 
of lime, Gypsum, is quarried in the district colored 
red on the map ; it is found mixed with marl and 
clay, and generally lies some depth below the surface. 
It has been exposed at Askern, Brotherton, Camp- 
sail, Norton, and Wadworth ; at the last named place 
it was penetrated in the operation of boring for water, 
and gave out a spring impregnated with Sulphuretted 
Hydrogen, which still exists. It may be seen in 
quarries in the neighbourhood of Askern, and is met 
with in layers of from one to five inches thick, by 
persons engaged in sinking wells. Beyond the 
line in which gypsum appears in the greatest quan- 
tity, the magnesian limestone assumes a slaty 
character, and presents layers of variable thickness : 
it is occasionally met with capping some of the 
hills. The boundaries of this slaty limestone are 

E 



38 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

tolerably well defined ; there is, however, a graduai 
thickening of the layers as we proceed west, the 
thinnest being seen in the quarries at Askern, 
where the formation is about to disappear. Its 
consistence varies much ; in some places the layers 
are very hard, whilst in others they are elastic, like 
the flexible limestone of the Durham coast. 

The Limestone formation, in this district, is 
remarkable for its dislocations ; besides that noted 
in the map, between Hemsworth and Barnsdale 
there is a large one evident in the Park at Camp- 
sail, where, in a quarry near the road leading from 
Askern to Campsall, it will be found that the lower- 
most bed of the Magnesian Limestone, which exists 
naturally in the valley of the Went, has suddenly 
made its appearance amidst the layers of slaty lime- 
stone above alluded to. This interruption to the strata 
is exhibited in the section accompanying the map. 

There is a production known to the mineralogist 
by the name of Dolomite, consisting of the carbon- 
ates of lime and magnesia, which are the component 
parts of a large proportion of the magnesian lime- 
stone; it occurs under two forms, a coarse large- 
grained stone, arenaceous dolomite, and a finer stone 
called small-grained dolomite. These, as well as 
some other varieties of the limestone, have been 
analyzed by Professor Sedgwick, and the quantities 
of carbonate of lime and carbonate of magnesia 
found to be equal ; they contain a small portion of 



ASKERN AND ITS VICINITY. 39 

oxide of iron, and other impurities, to the amount 
of about two per cent. 

These ingredients are also met with in a more 
compact, or in a laminated form, and have been 
named according to their physical appearance ; 
when the rock is of a softer consistence, the presence 
of a larger amount of carbonate of lime is indicated ; 
one variety called earthy magnesian limestone, is 
composed of two parts of carbonate of lime, and one 
of carbonate of magnesia. Beds of an irregular 
concretionary character sometimes occur, which 
are entirely composed of carbonate of lime ; portions 
of these, when broken, exhibit the appearance of an 
aggregation of small round particles, like the ova of 
insects, or the roe of a fish, and resemble the forma- 
tion called Oolite : this variety is met with in the 
quarries between Campsall and Sutton. Professor 
Sedgwick describes a formation of this kind, on the 
Durham coast, consisting of very large globular 
masses, resembling at a distance a huge pile of 
cannon balls. Some of the rocks in this formation 
are composed of large masses of various kinds of 
gravel, agglutinated by the deposition of lime and 
magnesia, and have been named on that account 
Brecciated rocks. 

In examining the internal structure of the lime- 
stone, every one will be struck with the great 
variety of singular forms that it presents, many of 
which resemble organic remains, but cannot be 



40 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

ascribed to such an origin. Amongst these are the 
Oolitic and Botryoidal forms, both of which are re- 
ferable to an inorganic origin. 

In the quarries of Askern and Campsall, round 
or oval projections are seen, which vary from a pin's 
head to several feet in circumference ; the layers of 
which they are composed are continuous with those 
of the limestone, and seem to be formed by some 
foreign substance serving as a nucleus upon which 
the limestone is deposited layer after layer ; in some 
cases, the nucleus may be formed by the escape of 
carbonic acid or other gas, for I have frequently 
observed that the protuberance is hollow within. 

There is another class of bodies which have a 
conoidal form, the base being always uppermost ; 
their size ranges from that of a pea to that of a 
large pear ; they are not continuous with the layers 
of the limestone, but lie in distinct cavities, from 
which they may be removed almost entire, by a 
blow of the hammer. The cavities in which these 
bodies are found have probably been at first made 
by the rotatory action given by running water to a 
small stone, or other substance, whilst the limestone 
was forming ; a fresh deposit having afterwards taken 
place from the water : cavities of this kind may be 
frequently seen in streams running over loose sand, 
or other matter. 

Another striking feature in the physical cha- 
racter of the magnesian limestone is 3 the existence, 



ASKERN AND ITS VICINITY. 41 

in some places, of an immense number of cavities, 
which are frequently lined with beautiful crystals 
of carbonate of lime ; some of these cavities are 
very small, as in the Oolitic limestones ; they are 
to be seen at Smeaton several feet square : the 
greater proportion of them contain crystals, and 
vary in size from a marble to an orange. Some 
geologists imagine that these cavities have been 
formed by the deposition of the rock upon gelatinous 
animal bodies, which, being gradually removed by 
decomposition, have left their mould or cast behind : 
others suppose that they have originated from the 
escape of gaseous matter, which, whilst the rock 
was hardening, was incapable of rising to the sur- 
face ; by the subsequent passing of water, charged 
with carbonic acid, through these cavities, many 
of them would become enlarged by the dissolving 
power of this gas over the limestone. 

The productions called Stalactites and Stalag- 
mites are often found in the dislocated and over- 
hanging portions of magnesian limestone ; the 
former are long, depending like icicles ; the latter 
are flat, and thinly extended over the surface of the 
rock : at Askern many beautiful specimens of sta- 
lagmites have been taken from the quarry. 

There is no great variety of minerals found in 
this rock, beyond the forms which its own constitu- 
ents present : oxide of iron occurs at Smeaton : 
carbonate of lime, in beautiful crystallizations, in 
E 3 



42 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

the quarries at Askern : sulphate of lime., or selenite 
has been seen several times, at and near Askern. 
Beside these, the sulphurets of lead and zinc, car- 
bonate of copper, the sulphates of barytes, strontia, 
and magnesia, chloride of sodium and quartz, are 
recorded by Professor Sedgwick as existing in this 
formation. 

The Fossils of the magnesian limestone are not 
numerous, and, of the few that exist, a small portion 
only are at present named ; in fact, comparatively 
little has been done for the history of this formation, 
with the exception of the paper by Sedgwick : it is 
to be hoped that the author of the valuable work on 
the Geology of the Yorkshire Coast, will add an 
account of this formation, to the other results of his 
able and laborious investigations. 

Of the Fossils in the neighbourhood of Askern, 
none belong to the Vertebrate division of animals, 
although several species of Fishes have been dis- 
covered in the limestone of Durham. 

Of Shells, the Bivalves are by far the most nu- 
merous ; the A&inus obscurus is very plentiful in 
the quarries at Askern, and throughout the whole 
district ; these shells are of various sizes ; the 
smaller are found grouped together, forming some- 
times the great mass of the rock ; the larger speci- 
mens are met with singly, and very thinly scattered. 
The Mytilus squamosus is another bivalve, which 
occurs in great abundance at Smeaton, and is 



ASKERN AND ITS TlCINITYo 43 

generally there in company with a coral, which has 
not hitherto been described. Of Univalves, only a 
few species occur : from a quarry between Sutton 
and Campsall, I have obtained several specimens of 
an undescribed species. There are probably many 
other species of shells, but, from the want of any 
account of this formation, to which I could refer, 
I have not been able to identify them. 

The presence of Annelida in the limestone, 
has not, that I am aware of, been noticed : I have, 
however, in my possession, several portions of rock, 
of a decidedly tubular structure, which resembles 
so strikingly that produced by annelida now exist- 
ing, that I am inclined to think these specimens 
can have had no other origin. It is difficult to 
suppose them to be the production of recent anne- 
lida. 

Of the Corallines, only two have been named ; 
the Retepora Jlustracea, and R. mrgulacea ; I 
have not seen them, but have identified, in specimens 
from Smeaton, two unnamed species, which Pro- 
fessor Sedgwick has figured in the above-mentioned 
paper ; in addition to these, there are two or three 
others found near Askern, probably also unnamed. 

The Vegetable remains of this formation, are 
but of rare occurrence, and I have seen none in 
this neighbourhood. The Dendritic appearances, so 
commonly observed, bear resemblance to a Con- 
ferva, or to the branches of a delicate coral ; they 



44 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

are not, however, of vegetable or animal origin, but 
arise from the deposition of oxide of manganese. 

The recent interesting discovery by Professor 
Ehrenberg, of Infusory Animalculse in a fossil state, 
induced me carefully to examine the marls and 
clays of the magnesian limestone ; I have not suc- 
ceeded in demonstrating their presence. 

The Mount, at Askern, is a portion of limestone 
rock, which has either been raised by some sudden 
convulsion from beneath, or which, on account of 
its hardness, has resisted the action of water, to 
which the strata on each side have, to a great 
extent, yielded : perhaps both these causes have 
contributed to its present form and position. The 
inclination of its strata is greater than that of the 
rocks of the surrounding district ; this is clearly 
seen on the sides and top of the hill. Some of the 
older inhabitants of the village entertain a notion 
that it increases in height ; although examples are 
recorded of such increase over large portions of 
land, in some districts of the globe, there is no 
evidence that tends to substantiate such an opinion 
with regard to this elevation. 

On the eastern side of the magnesian limestone 
formation, lying above the sandstone, and along 
the lines of fault and denuded vallies, are large 
quantities of diluvial deposits, consisting of rounded 
portions of rock, of various sizes ; these are, for the 
most part, derived from the magnesian limestone 



ASKERN AND- ITS VICINITY. 45 

itself. Although numerous instances are recol- 
lected of the exhumation of the bones of various 
other animals from the gravel pits, I have seen none 
but those of the deer, with the exception of a human , 
jaw-bone, which was dug from the terrace of dilu- 
vial gravel behind the Mount, where the body, of 
which it was a part, had probably been interred. 

In approaching Askern either from the North 
or South, the road passes over two considerable 
tracts of unproductive peat land, known by the name 
of Norton and Sutton Commons ; they lie on the 
same plane with the whole of this flat district, which 
lying on the new red sandstone, is a part of what is 
known to geologists by the name of the great plain 
of England. On the East side of Askern this plain 
is covered for many miles by immense deposits of 
peat, a very much later formation than the gravel 
which is in some places covered by it. Uudemeath 
the peat, and the diluvial deposits above described, 
is found a layer of sand, which is, in some places, as 
fine and loose as though it had been recently washed 
from the sea ; in other places it is mixed with clay, 
which gives to it a marly appearance : it has been 
used for building purposes, and, in some places, has 
been dug to a considerable depth, as at the pit in 
Campsall Park, where it is worked immediately 
beneath the diluvial detritus. In many of the 
ditches to the south of Askern, the peat has been 
cut through, and this layer of sand penetrated. 



46 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

The sand is sometimes seen raised above the peat ; 
this is especially the case where there is an ad- 
mixture of clay : these elevations, one of which, 
existing on Sutton Common, has been before 
spoken of, cannot be looked upon as artificial, but 
were, probably, thrown up by the currents of the 
water, which originally deposited the loose sand of 
the whole district. 

Allusion has before been made to the holes or 
pits, varying in depth from sixteen to twenty feet, 
that are formed in the limestone rock, in the midst 
of the pools. Amongst other conjectures as to 
their origin, they have been considered the craters 
of extinct volcanoes, an idea winch, it has been 
stated, Professor Sedgwick confirmed in his late 
survey of this district. I communicated with this 
eminent geologist on the subject, and have much 
pleasure in presenting the following extract from 
his polite answer to my inquiries : — " My opinion 
respecting the deep holes you mention, must have 
been misrepresented. I have a very imperfect 
recollection of the phenomena, but I never thought 
them volcanic. Your neighbourhood is, however, 
much intersected by faults and dislocations ; and I 
may have said that these faults were probably pro- 
duced by internal igneous movement. I think it 
by no means improbable, that a, few thousand years 
since, (or perhaps a few hundred,) the mineral 
waters of Askern were thermal. Almost all mineral 



ASKERN AND ITS VICINITY. 47 

springs are connected with great faults and dislo- 
cations. When springs are thermal we have little 
difficulty in referring their temperature to some 
deep-seated volcanic action. The long continued 
constancy in the temperature of thermal springs, is 
not more difficult to understand, than the long con- 
tinued action of volcanic fires under any known 
point of volcanic eruption. But, as volcanic fires 
burn out in the lapse of ages, (of which we can 
shew thousands of examples in geology,) so thermal 
springs, in course of ages, must gradually descend 
to the ordinary scale of temperature. The Askern 
springs, if I remember right, are in this condition." 
Mr. Phillips, in a conversation I had with him, 
on the formation of these holes, remarked that water 
charged with carbonic acid gas will dissolve lime- 
stone, and that if springs of this nature opened into 
the pool, they would dissolve the rock in their 
vicinity, and, in the course of time, would produce 
c avities of very great extent. It is extremely probable 
that such may be the true origin of the deep pits at 
Askern, as the water that fills the pool, contains, 
when it issues from the earth, a large proportion of 
carbonic acid gas, which causes a solution of the 
otherwise insoluble carbonate of lime. This che- 
mical action is succeeded by other interesting phe- 
nomena ; the carbonic acid, on reaching the surface 
of the water, escapes in the form of gaseous bub- 
bles ; the carbonate of lime, hitherto held in solution 



48 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

by the excess of carbonic acid, becomes precipitated 
immediately after the latter has escaped ; its particles 
falling to the bottom, are deposited on the various 
objects lying there, and form, what are called, Petri- 
factions. As this process goes on very slowly, the 
earthy precipitate displaces gradually the vegetable 
matter, and assumes the form of the various plants 
on which it rests. Considerable masses of these 
petrifactions are obtained, in which fresh water 
shells, &c, are frequently seen embedded : this is an 
interesting illustration of the process by which large 
portions of the solid strata, that compose the crust 
of the globe, have been formed, and of the manner 
in which their abundant fossil remains have been 
entombed, and their original shapes, in many 
instances, so perfectly preserved. This deposit of 
earthy matter is known to geologists by the name 
of Calcareous Tufa ; when it is thrown down more 
rapidly, and in larger quantities, as in many of the 
springs of Italy, and other parts of the world, it is 
called Travertin. 

The pool at Askern, like other waters of this 
nature, is favourable to the growth of some kinds 
of aquatic plants, especially those which seem to 
appropriate to themselves the carbonate of lime 
as a nutritive material : the plant most abundant 
here is the Hairy Chara ( Char a hispida) which 
grows in such profusion as to render its removal 
necessary every spring ; that the carbonate of lime 



ASKERN AND ITS VICINITY. 49 

aids the growth of this plant is rendered exceedingly- 
probable by its being so prolific in waters where that 
substance abounds. It is well known that the tissues 
of these plants contain carbonate of lime, which was 
supposed, by Sir J. E. Smith, to be merely an in- 
crustation upon them ; on examination with the 
microscope, it will be found to exist in these plants, 
in the form of regular crystals, which are attached 
to the epidermis by little membranous pedicles. 

Throughout the whole of the low ground sur- 
rounding Askern, large deposits of carbonate of 
lime are found, existing in the form of calcareous 
tufa, and forming alternate layers with the peat 
soil. Springs containing this substance are common 
in the magnesian limestone ; the water from these, 
as it runs over depending portions of the rock, 
deposits it" in the form of stalactites. Around the 
edges of the plunging bath, which is supplied with 
water from the pool, may be seen a deposit of car- 
bonate of lime, in the form of stalactites ; these are 
of the same nature as the concretions formed by the 
celebrated Dropping Well of Knaresborough. The 
changes which are thus effected, by many of the 
waters of the district, are so imperceptible, that 
they can only be appreciated after long intervals, 
and the deposit of a few inches in thickness, is 
perhaps the work of half a century, or more ; yet, 
slow as this process appears, the whole mass of the 
magnesian limestone is probably indebted to this 



50 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

cause for its origin. Professor Sedgwick, however, 
in the paper before alluded to, expresses his belief 
that this formation has been deposited mechanically ; 
he conceives that the materials have been conveyed 
by water from the earlier rocks, and left in their 
present position. I am inclined to adopt the opinion 
that it has been produced by the deposition of its 
constituents, which had been previously held in 
solution by water, and, for the following reasons : 
I. None of the older rocks contain a sufficient 
amount of magnesia to account for the great quan- 
tity of that constituent of the later formation. II. 
The magnesian limestone has generally a more 
compact appearance than the sandstones of the 
district, which have been mechanically deposited ; 
moreover it presents, under the microscope, a dis- 
tinctly crystalline character. III. The unvarying 
proportions of the salts of lime and magnesia which 
constitute this rock, would seem to denote a chemi- 
cal origin. IV. The similarity between its physical 
characters, and those of chemical deposits that are 
at present taking place ; these resemblances, which 
have been pointed out by Mr. Lyell, (Principles of 
Geology, vol. I. p. 317,) afford additional evidence 
of an identity of the modes of formation. 

BOTANY. 

In my remarks on this subject, I shall confine 
myself to an area extending about one mile to the 



ASKERN AND ITS VICINITY. 



51 



North, South, and East of Askern, and about three 
miles to the West, including Smeaton Crags, 

In order to avoid needless repetition of the 
names of plants, and at the same time to present a 
view of the Flora of the neighbourhood, I have 
given in the annexed tables, — I. A numerical 
statement of the genera and species of each natural 
order. II. A list of the less common plants, with 
their localities, following Mr, Watson's New 
Botanist's Guide, in which only those species are 
admitted which were found not to be common to the 
catalogues of eight out of twelve local Floras of 
Great Britain. III. A list of the plants common 
to the twelve counties referred to by Mr. Watson, 
which I have not observed in this district. IV. The 
names of a few plants which are but rarely seen 
here, and which are not mentioned in Mr. Watson's 
Guide. The natural orders are named after Dr. 
Lindley's Natural System of Botany. 



TABLE I. 

Gen. Sp. 



Ranunculacese 
Berberacese . 
Nympheeacese . 
Papaveracese . 
Brassicacese . 
Resedacese . . . 
Cistacese . . . 
Violacese . , . 
Polygalacese . 
Silenacese . . . 
Alsinacese . . . 
Malvaceae . . . 

Tiliacese 

Hypericacese . 



4 


19 


1 


1 


2 


2 


3 


4 


12 


17 


1 


2 


1 


1 


1 


4 


1 


1 


3 


5 


5 


9 


1 


3 


1 


2 


1 


7 



Aceracese . . . 
Geraniacese.. . 

Linacese 

Oxalidacese . 
Fabacese 
Rosacese . . , 
Onagracese . . . 
Lythracese . . , 
Cucurbitacese , 
Crassulacese . 
Grossulacese , 



Apiacere . . 
Araliacese 



Gen. 
1 
1 
1 

1 
14 
14 

5 

1 
1 
2 
1 
2 

17 
2 



52 



NATURAL HISTORY OF 



Loranthacese . . 
Caprifoliacese . . 

Galiaceae 

Valerianaceae . . 
Dipsaceae 
Asteracese 
Cynaraceae . . . . 
Cichoraceae. . . . 
Campanulaceae 
Ericaceae 
Monotropaceae 
Aquifoliacese .. 

Oleaceae 

Apocynaceae . . 
Gentianaceae . . 
Convolvulaceae 



Gen. Sp. 



Solanaceae 

Scrophulariacese . 
Lamiaceae 
Verbenaceae . . . 
Lentibulaceae . . . 
Primulaceae . . . 
Plantaginacese . 
Chenopodaceae . 



1 


1 


3 


4 


3 


10 


2 


4 


3 


5 


13 


17 


5 


7 


11 


15 


1 


3 


2 


2 


1 


1 


1 


1 


2 


2 


1 


1 


4 


4 


1 


2 


4 


5 


4 


4 


8 


17 


14 


23 


1 


1 


2 


2 


5 


7 


1 


3 


1 


3 



Polygonaceae .. 
Tbymelaceae . . 
Eupborbiaceae 
Urticacese 
Ulmacese .... 
Salicaceae . . . . 
Betulacese 
Corylaceae . . . . 

Pinaceae 

EquisetaGeae .. 
Orcbidaceae . , 

Iridaceae 

Amaryllidaceae 
Dioscoracese . . 

Liliacese 

Melantbaceae . . 
JnQcaginaceae. . 
Juncaceae 
Alismaceae 

Araceae 

Pistiaceae 
Typhaceae 
Naiadacese 
Cyperaceae 
Graminaceae .. 



Gen. Sp. 



TABLE II. 



Thalictrum majus Woods near Sutton Common. 

Anemone Pulsatilla Smeaton Crags. 

Pap aver somniferum Campsall Park. 

Teesdalia nudicaulis Smeaton Crags. 

Hesperis matronalis Campsall Park. 

Meseda lutea ■. . Smeaton Crags. 

Viola lactea Plantations betweenMoss&Askern. 

Silene noctiflora Campsall Park. 

Cerastium arvense Campsall and Askern. 

Hypericum dubium Smeaton Crags — rare. 

Geranium pyrenaicum .... Camps Mount Park. 

JRhamnus catharticus Campsall Woods. 

Medicago saliva Campsall Park. 

Astragalus hypoglottis .... Smeaton Crags — abundant. 

> glycyphyllos .... Campsall Park. 

Onoirochys sativa Between Sutton and Askern. 

Sanguisorba officinalis .... Askern — abundant. 

Bryonia dioica Abundant in bedge-rows. 

Ribes rubrum Campsall. 

alpinum Woods near Camps Mount. 



ASKERN AND ITS VICINITY. 53 

Uelosciadium repens Ditches near Norton. 

Sison Amomum Abundant. 

Bupleurum rotundifolium . . Corn fields near Campsall. 

(Enanthe pimpinelloides . ■, . . Askern and Campsall. 

Silaus pratensis Between Sutton and Askern. 

Pastinaca sativa Campsall. 

Lonicera caprifolium Campsall. 

Viburnum Lantana Campsall Park. 

Viscum album Abundant. 

Asperula cynanchica Smeaton Crags. 

Galium tricorne Near Smeaton. 

Fedia dentata Campsall. 

Dipsacus Fullonum Road-sides — abundant. 

Lactuca virosa Campsall Park. 

Conyza squarrosa Smeaton Crags. 

Erigeron acre Smeaton Crags. 

Campanula latifolia Smeaton Crags. 

glomerata Abundant. 

n/r . rj ., "1 On the roots of Beech trees in 

Monotropa Hypopttys . . . . J. Campg Mount and Campgall p^ 

Chlora perfoliata Campsall Park. 

Linaria Elatine Corn-fields near Campsall. 

Rhinanthus major Meadows near Askern. 

Lycopus Europceus Smeaton Crags. 

Galeopsis Ladanum Abundant. 

— versicolor Between Askern and Moss. 

Acinos vulgaris Abundant. 

Calamintha officinalis Sutton-field. 

Nepeta Road from Askern to Barnsdale. 

Utricularia minor Askern Pool. 

Primula elatior Abundant. 

Hottonia palustris Abundant. 

Salix cinerea Campsall Woods. 

aquatica Campsall fish-pond. 

oleifolia Campsall Park. 

Sagiitaria sagittifolia River Went. 

Orchis pyramidalis . . Askern. 

Ophrys apifera \ Meadows b g^ all Sutt ° n and 

Tamus communis Abundant. 

Muscari racemosum Campsall Park. 

Colchicum autumnale ] MeadowS between „ Sutton and 

5 Campsall. 

Typha angustifolia ... Shirley Pool. 

Lemna gibba Campsall ditches. 

polyrrhiza Campsall ditches. 

Carex stricta Campsall. 

Poa aquatica Smeaton Crags. 

F 3 



54 



NATURAL HISTORY OF 



Poa bullosa Smeaton Crags. 

Bromus racemosus Camps Mount Park. 

erectus Camps Mount Park. 

Avena fatua Norton. 

Brachypodium pinnatum. . . . Campsall Park. 

Lolium arvense Campsall Lane. 



Papaver dubium. 
Cardamine Mrsuta. 
Barbarea vulgaris. 
Sisymbrium thalianum. 
Spergula arvensis. 
Stellaria uliginosa. 
Arenaria serpyllifolia. 
Epilobium tetragonum. 
Ledum reflexum. 

Telephium. 

Adoxa Moschatellina. 
Sambucus Ebulus. 
Asperula odorata. 
Bidens cernua. 



TABLE in. 



Gnaphalium uliginosum, 
Melampyrum pratense. 
Atriplex patula. 
Rumex obtusifolius. 
Epipaetis latifolia. 
Allium vineale. 
Potamogeton lucens. 
Scirpus setaceus. 
Carex pulicaris. 

vulpina. 

stellulata. 

prcscox. 

cmpitosa. 

hirta. 



TABLE IV. 

Ranunculus Lingua "... Shirley Pool. 

Parnassia palustris Askern Bogs. 

Geum rivale Burghwallis Lanes. 

Saxifraga tridactylites .... Campsall Park. 

Hyoscyamus niger Askern Lanes. 

Pinguicula vulgaris Norton Common. 

Eriophorum angustifolium. . Askern. 

Anagallis tenella Askern Bogs. 

Lysimachia vulgaris Campsall "Woods. 

The flowerless plants are not less abundant in 
this district than the flowering ones, but their 
greater variety precludes a lengthened notice of 
them. 

Of the Ferns, which are very scarce here, I have 
observed only the following species : — 



Polypodium vulgare. 
Aspidium Filix mas. 
Asplenium Trichomanes. 



Asplenium Ruta muraria. 
Scolopendrmm vulgare. 



ASKERN AND ITS VICINITY. 55 

The Stone-worts fCharw), as stated before, 
grow in great quantities in the pool at Askern ; 
this, and the lake of Campsall Park, are the only 
localities in which I have noticed them. 

The Mosses and Lichens, as in most wooded 
districts, are abundant here, but I have not ob- 
served any of the rarer species. 

The ditches and ponds abound with Algae ; the 
pool at Askern is a rich depository, and, with the 
changing season of the year, presents a constant 
succession of them. In the winter, the sides of the 
pool, and the decayed stems of plants, are covered 
with little yellow tufts, like balls of hair, which 
contain a great number of small three-cornered 
bodies, the Frustulia Olivacea. The mud from 
the bottom of the pool, where there is much recent 
vegetable matter, presents thousands of minute 
particles of a round, square, or oblong form, which 
possess the power of motion ; many of these are the 
seeds of various species of Crow-silks, Quiver- 
worts, and Yoke-threads. Some of these small 
moving bodies have been classed by Zoologists 
amongst animals, whilst Botanists have described 
them as the seeds of plants ; and a third class of 
observers have placed them in a division of the 
organic kingdom, by which they are distinguished 
from both plants and animals. One of the plants 
produced by these atoms, abounds in the pool ; it 
is a Quiver- wort (Zygnema), whose graceful green 



56 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

filaments may be seen on fine days waving back- 
wards and forwards in the dark water of the deep 
pits. In the summer, the pool is sometimes almost 
covered with the bladder-laver (Viva bullosa J, 
which floats about like masses of green j elly . There 
are some forms of these lower plants which are 
peculiar to waters exposed to the influence of 
Sulphuretted Hydrogen. At the bottom of the pool, 
and on the sides of wells in which the sulphureous 
water collects, is found a Conferva, resembling 
the C. nivea of Dillwyn, which he long since 
described as existing in the waters of Croft, and 
which has since been discovered at Middleton and 
other places. During the past summer I ascer- 
tained the presence of two or three other species of 
Conferva, both in the waters of Askern and Harro- 
gate ; these plants exemplify the subserviency of 
the vegetable to the animal kingdom, as they are 
invariably accompanied by peculiar animalculae. 

The Fungi are abundant in this district, spring- 
ing up in the greatest profusion during the later 
months of the year ; it is then that the moss-grown 
branches which strew the ground of the woods at 
Owston are almost covered with the Peziza coccinea, 
whose carmine cups form a rich contrast to the 
bright green of the moss ; it is amongst — 

" The beauties of the -wilderness 
That make so gay the solitary place, 
Where no eye sees them." 

The Truffle and the Mushroom are exceedingly 



ASKERN AND ITS VICINITY. 57 

plentiful. In a few places the giant Puff-ball 
(B ovist a gig ant ea J attains an enormous size ; on 
one spot in Campsall Park, where it has grown 
three years successively, some of the plants mea- 
sured three feet in circumference. In many of the 
woods the fetid Phallus is very abundant. 

The low woods of Campsall, Askern, and Owston, 
are favourably situated for the growth of most of 
the members of this protean tribe. Although much 
neglected, it is a highly interesting family of the 
vegetable kingdom ; it begins to claim attention 
when the beauties of autumn are departing, and to 
the enthusiastic botanist affords ample materials for 
pursuing his favourite study through the winter. 



ZOOLOGY. 

In making a few observations on this branch of 
natural history, I shall begin with the lowest forms, 
and gradually ascend to those in the higher divisions 
of the animal kingdom ; dwelling only on the facts 
connected with such animals as are met with in the 
same district to which my botanical remarks have 
been limited. The pools and ditches of Askern, 
abounding as they do with vegetable matter, are 
very favourable to the production of those organic 
beings, invisible to the naked eye, called Infusoria. 
A wine glass full of water, kept for a day or two in 



58 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

a warm room, will furnish ample amusement to 
those who possess a microscope. Of these animal- 
cules, one kind, notwithstanding their minuteness, 
are supplied with a large number, of stomachs, and 
are, therefore, called Polygastrica ; the other, from 
having round the mouth an apparatus of hairs, 
winch they twist rapidly about, for the purpose of 
moving and procuring their food, are named Roti- 
fer a : both these kinds swarm in the waters of Askern, 
and may be distinguished from each other with a 
little care. The former are by far the more numer- 
ous ; their quantity is sometimes so great as to dis- 
color the water, and several millions have been 
calculated to exist in a single drop. 

During the past summer, I discovered in the 
lake at Campsall Hall, adhering to the stones at its 
edge, and spreading in a radiate manner over their 
entire under-surfacej an animal of the class Poly- 
pifera, the Plumatella repens; it was first de- 
scribed by the Reverend Dr. Fleming, and by him 
my specimens were recognised and named. Other 
animals belonging to this interesting group have 
been found in Yorkshire, as the Alcyonella stag- 
norum, by Mr. Teale, near Leeds, but I have not 
observed them in this neighbourhood. 

At the latter end of 1839, my attention was 
attracted to a peculiar substance, seen in the pools 
and ditches of Askern, by the following passage in 
Mr. Brewerton's work, pp. 8-9 :— " Nearly allied 



ASKERN AND ITS VICINITY. 59 

to the vegetable kingdom, is a singular substance 
found in a pond at the south corner of the pool, 
adjoining the high road. This substance is a 
powder of a pink or rose colour, which forms a thin 
covering on the sand and mud at the bottom of the 
pond. What its real nature may be is at present 
doubtful. From its lying on the surface of the mud, 
it appears to be specifically lighter, and this is cor- 
roborated by its remaining suspended longer than 
the mud when the water is agitated. At first it 
struck me, that it might be a powdery Lichen, but 
as no Lichen is described by botanists of such a 
colour, and vegetating in such a situation, this sup- 
position is most likely unfounded. In attempting 
to discover whether it originated or not from the 
anthers or seed vessels of any of the aquatic plants, 
no satisfactory information was obtained. It may 
be a precipitation of lake from some vegetable 
matter, by the agency of a sulphureous spring that 
is almost contiguous, and mixes its water with that 
of the pond ; and from the fine colour of this powder, 
its similarity to the lake used as a pigment is very 
striking." 

On procuring some of this substance^ and ex- 
amining it by a microscope, I supposed it might be 
of vegetable origin, and referred it to the lowest 
form of vegetable matter, (Haematococcus) ; on 
keeping it, however, for some time, in water, in a 
warm room, I found that the water became of a 



60 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

beautiful rose colour, and, on submitting it to the 
microscope, that this appearance arose from an 
immense quantity of very minute animalcules. 
Having thus had reason to suspect that my conclu- 
sions were wrong with regard to the vegetable 
nature of the pink deposit, I examined the produc- 
tion of the substance more minutely, and am now- 
convinced that it is composed of the bodies of dead 
animalcules. It is found in very large quantities 
throughout an extensive district, and as old layers 
disappear, new ones are constantly being formed. 
Another remarkable feature of this deposit is, that 
it is not found in any of the streams of the neigh- 
bourhood which are not impregnated with sulphur- 
etted hydrogen : so uniformly have I found this to 
be the case, that, far removed from the sulphur 
springs in use, I have been able, by the presence 
of this pink matter alone, to point to the locality of 
a sulphureous spring ; on the application of silver 
to the mud on which the deposit rested, it was 
always discolored by sulphuretted hydrogen. This 
animalcule is often accompanied by one resembling 
the Vinegar-Eel ( Vibrio), and both are seen nestling 
on a species of Oscillatoria. The existence of 
these animalcules, under the influence of a gas 
destructive to most other forms of animal life, is a 
striking instance of the wonderful adaptation of 
organic life to the varied conditions in which inor« 
ganic matter is disposed. 



ASKERN AND ITS VICINITY. 61 

Of the Annelida, or ring-bodied animals, we 
have here numerous examples ; to this class belong 
the varied forms of worms and leeches ; of the latter, 
several species are found in the ditches of Askern, 
and during a late scarcity of the medicinal leech, 
they were a source of profit to persons engaged in 
catching them. At* the bottom of many of the 
ponds may be seen a number of little red animals, 
which are occasionally grouped together, so as 
to give the mud the appearance of being covered 
with large patches of blood ; they are very sensitive, 
and on the approach of the hand, or other instru- 
ment, retire deep into the mud. I have met with 
them generally in the vicinity of waters impregnated 
with iron, and in one instance, at Harrogate, saw 
them in the midst of a chalybeate spring ; I am 
not, however, aware that they are peculiar to such 
localities. 

The Gordius is often seen in little pools and 
ditches around Astern ; it resembles a large horse 
hair, and, by the simple-minded, is looked upon as a 
horse hair come to life ; it derives its name from 
frequently twisting itself into a very complex knot; 
sometimes several link themselves together, and 
seem to form an indissoluble union. They are ex- 
tremely tenacious of life, retaining their vitality for 
days without moisture, and recovering animation 
when it is again supplied to them, even in a 
shrivelled state. This is a property common to 

G 



62 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

many of the lower animals, and apparently to the 
ova of some of the higher forms ; animalcule, after 
having been dried for months, are said to have 
resumed their activity on being put into water. 
From the circumstance of ponds being spontane- 
ously stocked with fish, it is supposed that the ova 
of these animals have been dried, and carried by 
the wind from place to place. 

On the numerous family of Insects, I can do 
little more than throw together a few random notes ; 
I am not a practical Entomologist, or should be 
able, I believe, to mention a considerable variety of 
forms, belonging to this interesting department of 
Zoology, which occur in and around Askern. 

In the ditches and ponds, the Dytiscus Margi- 
nalis is found in great numbers, and its larvae can be 
seen, at almost any time, groping about in the mud. 
The Glow-worm is scarce, but specimens have been 
taken near Stapleton during fine weather. The 
Burying Beetles are common, especially on the 
bogs at Askern. Mr. Denny, of Leeds, informs 
me that he once took several specimens of the very 
rare Diaperis osnea from the trunk of an old tree 
near the pool. In many places, the trees have 
suffered much from the attacks of the species of 
Scolytus, and nearly all the felled trees are, in a 
short time, bored by the Scolytus destructor, whose 
eggs are deposited between the bark and the wood ; 
the marks left by it are curious, resembling the 



ASKERN AND ITS VICINITY. 63 

body of an insect with a large number of long 
legs. 

The Cock-roach may be frequently seen running 
over the floors of kitchens and cottages, in this 
district, and the Mole-cricket's song is often heard 
on summer evenings. The Nepa cinerea is a very 
common insect, and may be captured in most of 
the ditches and pools. The various species of 
Aphidii, or plant-lice, are but too common : many 
of them produce singular monstrosities by punctur- 
ing plants ; I have observed them on the Smooth 
Tare (Ervum tetraspermumj , the Speed- wells, 
and ground Ivy ; they are deposited in the bud 
whilst the plant is growing, and, when it has attained 
maturity, quite alter its character. 

The larvae of the various species of Phrygane w, 
called Caddis-worms, are exceedingly abundant in 
the ditches near Askern ; these insects, with their 
little cases, made of various materials, are some- 
times so numerous as to make the bottom of the 
water appear a moving mass. The Ants furnish 
indications of their industry here : at the west end 
of Sutton Common, near the village, is a piece of 
ground, an acre or two in extent, which is entirely 
covered with tumuli formed by these little insects ; 
they are from one to two feet high, and from two to 
four in circumference. 

The species of Wasp are common ; there is one 
the Vespa Britannica, which forms a conical nest, 



64 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

with three tiers of cells : it opens underneath by a 
circular aperture, and is always attached to the 
branches of trees.* I have a nest in my possession 
of a much smaller species, which was found on a 
branch of a gooseberry bush, in the garden of the 
Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, near Doncaster ; 
it is not laTger than a pigeon's egg, and has oidy a 
single tier of cells, which do not exceed seven or 
eight, whilst those of the former are five or six 
hundred in number. 

Many of the more beautiful of the Butterflies 
have localities in this district. The Silver-spot, 
Pearl-border, Silver-stripe, and other Fiitillaries 
are seen in the plantations around Sutton Common ; 
the Peacock, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, and 
large Tortoiseshell, in Campsall Park ; the Marble 
White, at Smeaton ; the Azure Blue, and the 
Common Blue, on the Mount, and in the fields that 
lead to Sutton; and the Ringlet, Orange Tip, 
Brimstone, &c, are abundant throughout the neigh- 
bourhood. 

Of animals belonging to the class Crustacea, 
many examples occur ; the ditches abound with 
the Fresh-water Shrimp, and several microscopic 
species: one of these, the Monoculus conchaceus of 
Donovan, frequently collects in such quantities, as 
to give a yellowness to the water. Last summer I 
observed the surface of a pond near Campsall Hall, 
* See Naturalist, Vol. II. p. 312. 



ASKERN AND ITS VICINITY. 65 

which presented an almost orange colour; as I 
passed round it, the shades of colour varied very 
much ; this arose from my having disturbed these 
little animals, and from their consequently retiring 
deeper into the water. Amongst them is often found 
the Monoculus quadricornis, which, from the pecu- 
liar position of its ovarial bags, has a very singular 
appearance. 

Another of these animals (Argulus foliaceus), 
not often noticed, was common here last summer ; 
it was found as a parasite on fishes ; it is about a 
quarter of an inch long, and is remarkable for its 
large compound eyes, and a pair of suckers which 
it uses for the purpose of attaching itself to the fish ; 
these act in the same manner as the bags on the 
foot of the'House-fly and Geckoo, which, when ex- 
panded on a surface, are able to produce a vacuum, 
and thereby secure the pressure of the superincum- 
bent atmosphere and water. When put into a 
basin with Sticklebacks, these animal swim slowly 
about, or adhere to the sides of the vessel, till some 
unwary fish approaches them, when they seize hold 
of it never more to leave their victim. In no in- 
stance have 1 seen the Sticklebacks get rid of their 
tormentors, although, when first laid hold of* they 
make prodigious efforts to escape from their grasp, 
and rub themselves with force against the sides of 
the basin. They inflict no wound on the fish, but 
appear to subsist on the mucus secreted by the skin 

63 



66 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

of the latter : like parasites in the higher animals^ 
they seem to indicate a diseased state of the indi- 
vidual on which they are found.* 

Of Molluscous animals, none occur near 
Askem, excepting those which come under the 
designation of Land and Freshwater Shells. The 
following is a list of some that were collected during 
the last summer; they are named according to 
Gray's edition of Turton's British Land and 
Freshwater Shells. 

Paludina vivipara (Crystalline Marsh Shell.) { Di p^ 8 near Askem 

-achatina.. (Common Marsh Shell.) Madder Close. 

Bithinia tentaculata . . (Tentacled Bithinia.) Askem Pool. 

ventricosa .... (Ventricose Bithinia.) Ditto. 

Helix aspersa (Common Snail.) Very common. 

■ hortensis (Garden Snail.) Campsall, rare. 

nemoralis (Girdled Snail.) Common. 

■ hispida (Bristly Snail.) Common. 

' rufescens » . . (Rufous Snail.) Lanes near Askem. 

■ virgata (Zoned Snail.) Roadsides, common. 

Zonites rotundatus . . . . (Radiated Snail.) Campsall Woods. 

■ nitidulus (Dull Snail.) Ditto. 

lucidus (Lucid Snail.) Ditto. 

crystallinus . . . . (Crystalline Snail.) Ditto. 

purus (Delicate Snail.) Ditto. 

Succinea putris . . (Common Amber Snail.) Askern Pool. 
Pfeifferi .... (Slender Amber SDail.) Ditto. 

Zua lubrica . . (Common Varnished Shell.) Campsall Woods. 
Vertigo edentula . . (Toothless Whorl Shell.) Ditto. 

* For a figure, and an interesting account of this animal, by 
Miss Dobson, see Naturalist, Vol. I. ; see also, Annals of Natural 
History, Vol. V. p. 221. 



ASKERN AND ITS VICINITY. 67 

Limneus stagnalis . . . . (Lake Mud Shell.) Ditches. 

i palustris (Marsh Shell.) Ditto. 

auricularis .. (Widemouthed Shell.) Askern Pool. 

Carychium minimum (Minute Sedge Shell.) Campsall. 

Vitrinapellucida (Transparent Glass Bubble.) Campsall Woods. 

Velletia lacustris . . (Oblong Lake Limpet.) Campsall Lake. 

Planorbis corneus .. . . (Horny Coil Shell.) Askern Pool. 

carinaius (Carinated Ditto.) Ditto. 

• marginatus .... (Margined Ditto.) Ditto. 

imbricatus (Nautilus Ditto.) Campsall Lake. 

Cyclas cornea (Horny Cycle.) Askern Ditches. 

Pisidium amnicum (River Pera.) Ditto. 

Of the Fishes of this district, the most numerous 
is the Eudd or Red Eye, (Leuciscus eryophthal- 
mus ; ) it forms by far the larger proportion of the 
angler's booty ; this may arise, in some measure, 
from the avidity with which it takes the bait, under 
almost all circumstances, and at all seasons ; it some- 
times attains here the unusual weight of from two 
to three pounds. The Roach (Leuciscus rutilus) 
is next to the Rudd in abundance, and is very com- 
monly confounded with it. The Dace (Leuciscus 
vulgaris) inhabits, in small quantity, the lake 
in Campsall Park. The Carp-Bream (Abramis 
Brama) weighing from two to three pounds, is 
plentiful there ; it is not often hooked, but is taken 
in nets. There is a smaller species, called the 
White Bream (Abramis blicca), which is still more 
numerous at Campsall, and is oftener taken by the 
angle than the former ; after an examination of a 
large number of preserved specimens of this fish 



68 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

which I have in my possession, I am much inclined 
to doubt whether it is other than the Carp Bream, 
in its young state. Next to the Rudd and Roach 
in frequency is the Perch {Percajluviatilis), which, 
I am told, has been taken of a very large size from 
the pool at Askern. The Pike (Esox Lucius) is 
found both at Campsall and Askern ; one was taken 
from the Pool at the latter place, a year or two ago, 
weighing upwards of twenty pounds. The Broad- 
nosed and the Sharp-nosed Eel (Anguilla latirostris 
et acutirostris), are inhabitants of the lake at 
Campsall. The ditches and pools abound with the 
Sticklebacks, of which I have observed four species, 
the Gasterosteus aculeatus, trachurus, semiar- 
matus, and Pungitius. I have seen the Bullhead 
or Miller's Thumb fCottus gobioj, in a brook at 
Norton, but not in any other locality. 

The more common of the few British Reptiles 
are found here. The Ringed Snake is frequent in 
the fields on the limestone hills ; the Blind-worm 
and the Viper are rare ; the former I have never 
seen, and only one dead specimen of the latter. 
The Frog and Toad are numerous. The common 
Lizard is rather scarce. The Warty Eft or Newt 
exists in large numbers in a pond at Campsall, but 
I have never observed it in the pool at Askern. 

This district, occupying almost the centre of our 
island, does not afford such a variety of Birds as 
those nearer the coast ; the presence, however, of 



ASKERN AND ITS VICINITY. 



69 



boggy flats, with large pools, and a considerable 
elevation of the hills, are circumstances which con- 
tribute to supply here a greater number of species 
than many districts of a much larger extent. Of 
307 British birds included in Mr. Doubleday's 
Systematic Catalogue, .102 species have been ob- 
served in or near Campsall, by Mr. Neville Wood ; 
I have also received a list of 10 other species which 
have been preserved, or seen, by Mr. Mellor, of 
Askern. The following table will give the orni- 
thologist an idea of the general character of the 112 
species. 

Orders and Families. Gen. Sp. Orders and Families. Gen. Sp. 



RAPTORES. 

Vulturidse 

Falconidse 

Strigidse 

INSESSORES. 

Dentirostres. 

Muscicapidaj 

Merulidse . . . . 

Sylviadse 

Conirostres. 

Fringillidse 

Sturnidae 

Corvidce 

Scansores. 

Picidse 

Certhiadse 

Cuculidse 



1 

1 5 

13 28 



817 
1 1 

5' 7 

2 |a! 

4 
1 



Fissirostres. 

1 'Meropidse 

8 Haloyonidse 

3 Hirundinidse ..=,... 
; Caprimulgidae 

RASORES. 

1 riiasianidse 

Tetraonidse 

GRALLATORES. 

' Charadriadse 

Ardeidse 

Scolopacidse 

Rallidse 

NATATORES. 

Anatida? , 



4 jColymbidse 



I subjoin the names of some of the rarer birds, 
that have been taken, or seen, near Askern* 

* For this list, I am chiefly indebted to Mr. Neville Wood ; 
those marked M. are placed here on the authority of Mr. Mellor, 
who has all the birds in his possession, with the exception of the 
first, the Golden Eagle ; I find it noticed in a catalogue of the 
Birds of the West Riding of Yorkshire, kindly sent me by the Rev. 
F. O. Morris, of Ordsall. 



70 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

Aquila Chrysoetos (Golden Eagle.) One shot at Campsall. 

{One shot at Askern — 
in the possession of 
Mr. Mellor. 

Circus rufus (Marsh Harrier) Campsall — rare. 

' cyaneus (Hen Harrier.) Campsall — rare. 

Otus vulgaris (Long-eared Owl.) Campsall Park, common. 

Salicaria arundinacea* . . (Reed Warbler.) Campsall — scarce. 

Locustellaf (Grasshopper Warbler.) Campsall — scarce. 

Philomela Lusciana (Nightingale.) Inthewoodsat Owston 

— thus disproving the popular opinion that it does not come 
north of the Trent ; it may be heard every summer from the 
Doncaster road. 

Curruca garrula . . (Lesser Whitethroat.) Campsall — scarce. 

hortensis.. (Greater Pettychaps.) Ditto--notuncommon. 

Sylvia sibilatrix (Wood Wren.) Ditto— not uncommon. 

Mecistura caudata, (Long-tailed Titmouse.)Ditto — common. 

Alauda arborea (Wood Lark.) Ditto, rather uncommon. 

Emberiza CirlusX (Cirl Bunting.) j 0ne shot s ^ r Camp " 

Fringilla Montifringilla (Brambling.) Campsall — scarce. 

Coccothraustes vulgaris. . (Common Gros- ? » v ivr 

beak.) J Astern— M. 

Linaria minor (Lesser Redpole.) Campsall — rare. 

Loxia curvirostra .. (Common Crossbill.) Burgh wallis and Camp- 
sall — it is thought to breed here, but this is not a well authen- 
ticated fact. — M. 

Corvus comix (Hooded Crow.) Rare. 

Nucifraga caryocatactes . . (Nutcracker.) Campsall — rare. 

Picus major .... (Greater Spotted Wood- "I ~ „ -., 

pecker.) } Occasionally seen-M. 

— — viridis (Green Woodpecker.) Rare. 

Coracias garrula . . . .(Garrulous Roller.) j Tw0 shotnear Askern 
Charadrius pluvialis . . . . (Golden Plover.) Rather common. 
* See Naturalist, Vol. I., p. 33. f Naturalist, Vol. II., p. 357. 
% Naturalist, Vol. I., p. 341. 



ASKERN AND ITS VICINITY. 71 

Ardea cinerea (Common Heron.) Askern — scarce. 

Totanus Ochropus. . . . (Green Sandpiper.) Campsall — rare— M. 

Scolopax major (Solitary or Great Snipe.) Sutton common — M. 

Cygnus ferus (Whistling Swan.) Campsall Lake. 

Spathulea clypeata . . (Common Shoveller.) Askern Pool — M . 

Podiceps cristatus (Crested Grebe.) Askern — rare. 

Colymbus arcticus (Black -throated Diver.) | ^ ^ M ° n ASk6m 

Anser segetum (Bean Goose.) Askern — scarce. 

Querquedula crecca. . . .(Common Teal.) Ditto --not uncommon. 

Mareca penelope (Wigeon.) Ditto — not ditto. 

Podiceps minor (Little Grebe.) Ditto — rare. 

Of the Mammalia we have here no peculiar 
distribution. The collections of animals nailed as 
trophies on barns and other outhouses, furnish 
abundant evidence of the existence of such vermin, 
as the Pole-cat, Weasel, and Stoat : I have seen a 
specimen of what I believe to be the genuine Wild 
Cat ; but many are so called, which are nothing 
more than the Domestic Cat, broken loose from 
restraint, and roaming about for prey. 

The Fox being encouraged for the purpose of 
hunting, is frequently met with ; twelve cubs were 
reared, in Campsall Park alone, the winter before 
last, and many find shelter in the woods at Smeaton 
Crags. The Hare and Rabbit abound in and near 
the adjoining preserves. The Mole is very common 
in spite of the vigilance of its destroyers. The 
Urchin or Hedge Hog is often observed in the 
woods and fields. Of the Bats, I have seen but 
the long-eared Bat, and the Noctule ; a nest of nine 



72 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

of the latter species was taken from an old tree at 
Sutton. The Squirrel at one time lived, in great 
numbers, on the Beech-trees at Campsall, but it is 
now seldom if ever seen there ; it is, however, very- 
abundant at Smeaton. The common species of the 
Shrews and Mice are plentiful, as also the Brown 
Rat, and water Campagnol. The Stag or Red 
Deer, in its wild state, has long since disappeared ; 
but, its remains in the peat and gravel attest its 
former existence here. 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 73 



CHAPTER IV. 

HISTORY AND ANALYSIS OF THE MINERAL WATER. 



SECTION I. 
HISTORY OF THE SPA. 

We have no authentic account of the time when 
the water of Askern was first used medicinally ; 
but it probably possessed a local reputation long 
before it became an object of interest to strangers. 
One of the earliest writers upon this water was 
Dr. Short, of Sheffield, who published in 1734, "A 
Natural, Experimental, and Medicinal History 
of the Mineral Waters of Derbyshire, Lincoln- 
shire, and Yorkshire? 

The following is the Doctor's account of the 
water : — 

" We meet with one of much greater note at 
Asheron, five miles from Doncaster, in Campsel 
parish, seven miles from Pontefract. It is exceed- 
ing clear water : it has a fine stone basin, and is 
H 



74 NATURAL HISTOHY OF 

inclosed by a round walk. Its stream is full of 
white thick sludge, which ropes like a decoction of 
Althaea. It smells and tastes very strong of sul- 
phur : it curdles soap and milk ; turns silver black, 
brass a blue copper colour. It retained its sulphur 
smell to a third degree of heat. It becomes muddy 
and curdles in boiling. It is a very diuretic light 
water. The farmers find it of notable service to 
them in curing chafed feet, saddle galling, horses 
or oxen galled in the yoke, or by loading, &c, 
mangy dogs, scabbed horses, &c. It has done 
some notable cures in inveterate strumous, and 
other ulcers, scab, leprosy, &c. It's muddy white, 
with solution of silver ; a clear sky blue, with tinc- 
ture of verdigrease ; light yellow, with tincture of 
rhubarb ; it's first white, and then curdles, and lets 
fall a large brownish sediment with sugar of lead ; 
with oil of tartar and spirit of hartshorn, it is whitish, 
curdles, and lets fall much sediment. It makes a 
strong ebullition with the acid spirits ; with tinc- 
ture of logwood a beautiful deep red ; with tincture 
of galls, a muddy white. Five quarts of it ex- 
haled, left three drams of white sparkling sediment, 
a dram whereof was a fine salt, which crackled on 
a hot iron ; turned syrup of violets, green ; fer- 
mented little with the acid spirits, but struck the 
nose with a pungent smell. The rest of the salt 
dissolved and set to crystallize, projected very fine 
crystals of nitre and marine salt ; the last was the 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 75 

largest. The sediment here is to the water, as 1 to 
426f ; the earth to the salt as 2 to 1." 

" This Spaw is within a few yards of Askeron 
Pool side, the water whereof is very hard, curdles 
soap into hard flakes, yet bleeches exceeding fine, 
stinks in summer, abounds with pike, perch, &c. 
It has several profound pits in it, the depth whereof 
are not known. It is constantly supplied with water 
from these pits ; never is less in the greatest 
drought, nor overflows in the greatest rain, except 
the mill dam below is stopt with sludge and grass. 
The soil on one side is all lime-stone ; on the other 
side a white clay, half a foot deep; and below that 
a very fine white sand." 

The next writer who mentioned the Askern 
water, was Pennant, the celebrated .naturalist, who 
published a Tour through England, in 1771. At 
this early "period, Askern seems to have undergone 
those vicissitudes, which it is the lot of all watering 
places more or less to experience ; for the " fine 
stone basin," with its " enclosed walk," mentioned 
by the worthy Dr. Short, were gone, and had be- 
come, says Pennant, " an irregular puddle, chiefly 
used for the washing of mangy dogs and pigs." 

So long as the basin remained, the water was 
perhaps not used externally; but, after its destruc- 
tion, a facility was afforded for washing animals, and 
hence probably originated the trial of this water as 
a bath for the human body. Baths were at first 



76 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

supplied by a cottager, who carried the water from 
the spring to his own dwelling. 

In 1786, another spring was opened which, for 
many years retained the name of the Old Bath ; 
over this a straw shed was erected for the conveni- 
ence of bathers ; notwithstanding the absence of other 
than this very rude accommodation, the reputation 
of Askern increased, and in the year 1794, the 
then Lords of the Manor, Viscount Galway, and 
Humphrey Osbaldeston, Esq., erected a neat stone 
building, on the site of the original well, that once 
possessed the " fine stone basin." 

Previous to this time, Dr. Chorley, of Doncas- 
ter, and Mr. Hindle, surgeon of Norton, had in 
various instances witnessed the beneficial effect of 
these waters, and were in the habit of advising both 
their internal and external use. As the place be- 
came resorted to, a new suite of Baths were erected 
in 1815, by the Lords of the Manor, at an expense 
of about £1000 ; this building occupied the place 
of the former one, and was for many years the prin- 
cipal bathing establishment. 

Up to this time, there was no other recorded 
analysis of these waters, than the exceedingly im- 
perfect one of Dr. Short, which was insufficient to 
give any correct idea of their properties. The 
desirableness of a new analysis becoming every 
day more apparent, it was at last undertaken by 
Mr. Le Gay Brewerton, surgeon, of Bawtry. From 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 77 

the distance at which this gentleman resided from 
Askern, and extensively occupied, as he is known 
to have been, by his professional pursuits nearer 
home, it is a matter for surprise that he could pro- 
duce a work so accurate in its scientific details, 
and so excellent in its medical instructions, as his 
Treatise on the Mineral Waters of Askern. His 
experiments were commenced in 1810, and con- 
tinued at intervals till 1817, when he published 
his Treatise ; this work contains the whole of Mr. 
Brewerton's chemical experiments, which present, 
perhaps, as close an approach to correctness as 
could have been attained at that time. The reader 
need only compare the results of Mr. Brewerton's 
analysis with those of Dr. Short, to see the great 
progress that had been made in chemical science 
in the course of 70 or 80 years ; but the review of 
a shorter period than this would suffice to shew how 
much we are indebted to the labours of Bergman 
and Murray, for the accuracy that exists at the 
present day in this department of science. The 
circulation of this book amongst medical men and 
the wealthier classes of the community, seems to 
have had the effect of directing more attention to 
Askern ; and since its publication, nearly all the 
buildings have been erected, and the aspect of the 
place has been quite changed. 

In 1821, Mr. Murray, a Lecturer on Chemistry, 
mblished an analysis of these waters in the 
H3 




78 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

Doncaster Gazette, which was afterwards reprinted 
for circulation. 

Amongst Mr. Brewerton's MMS., intended for 
a second edition of his Treatise, which have been 
kindly furnished me by his successor, Dr. Nichol- 
son, of Bawtry, I find some remarks condemning, I 
think justly, the summary manner in which Mr. 
Murray had come to his conclusions, which are, in 
some points, widely different from those which were 
the result of his own more carefully conducted ex- 
periments. 

Since that time no other analysis has appeared, 
and the only other work I know of that has been 
written upon Askern, is a little volume published 
at Doncaster, called the " Askern Visitor's Guide." 

In 1828, the Old and Manor Baths were taken 
down, and the Old Well and Manor Well were 
thrown into one, the former appearing to be only 
the outpourings of the latter ; the Baths and Pump- 
room of the present elegant and commodious estab- 
lishment are supplied from the original spring. 

After the erection of the Hotels, and other im- 
provements had taken place, several Wells were 
successively opened, from six of which the mineral 
water is now obtained. 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 79 



SECTION II. 



CHEMICAL ANALYSIS. 



The chemical analysis was chiefly conducted at 
the springs, and care was taken to prevent error by a 
repetition of all the experiments. Although the con- 
clusions arrived at differ, in many respects, from 
those of previous analyses of these waters, I have 
yet great confidence in the general correctness of 
the results of the present investigation ; I have the 
less hesitation in making this statement, from hav- 
ing obtained the assistance of Mr. West, of Leeds, 
whose accuracy in the examination of other mineral 
waters, and .whose reputation as an analytical che- 
mist, are the best guarantees that I can give to the 
public. 

In commencing the series of experiments, the 
water of six wells was submitted to the action of 
the chemical tests ; as their effects on each were so 
nearly similar, it was thought unnecessary to pur- 
sue the analysis so far as to ascertain in every case, 
the exact proportion of the substances present. 
Neither do I think it requisite here to enter into 
the minuter details of the analysis, nor to give an 
explanation in every instance, of the processes of 



80 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

reasoning by which the conclusions stated have 
been arrived at. Analytical chemistry is, in fact, 
a department of science, involving all the great 
principles of Chemistry ; and to render such details 
intelligible to the general reader, would occupy a 
far greater portion of this volume than would be 
desirable : I would refer those who wish for infor- 
mation on this subject, to the excellent epitome of 
Dr. Thomson, in the article on Mineral Waters, in 
the Cyclopcedia of Practical Medicine. 

The smell of the water from all the springs re- 
sembles that of the rinsings of a gun-barrel, or of 
putrid eggs, indicating at once the nature of the gas 
to which it is indebted for one of its most remark- 
able properties; this odour varies in intensity at 
the different wells. 

When taken from the spring the water is bright 
and clear, but it is frequently a little coloured or 
turbid from the pump ; this appearance arises from 
some water having remained in the pipes, and is 
not seen after a few strokes of the pump. 

On allowing the water to stand for only a short 
time, a degree of milkiness is observed in it, and a 
slight film collects on its surface ; if it stand for 
several hours, the cloudiness increases, and a 
precipitate which is composed of Sulphate and Car- 
bonate of Lime, and traces of Sulphur falls to the 
bottom of the vessel. On account of the decompo- 
sition which thus takes place, the water loses its 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 81 

smell by standing in open vessels ; this occurs, 
although more slowly, even in corked bottles. 

The taste of the water from the various springs 
differs but little ; the sulphureous character is 
strongest at the Madder Close Well. Their 
temperature is not higher than that of the springs 
in the neighbourhood, which may be stated to 
average about 49° in this latitude ; they therefore 
come under the class of cold mineral springs. 

On bringing the water in contact with substances 
containing lead and silver, it quickly discolors 
them ; on this account, the white paint, which 
contains carbonate of lead, is discolored by the 
exhalation of gas from the water, and silver utensils 
and coins become brown by being dipped into it ; 
these effects indicate the existence of the Sulphur- 
etted Hydrogen, or Hydro-sulphuric Acid Gas, 
which distinguishes these waters. 

The specific gravity was ascertained by means 
of an accurately closed phial, which contained when 
filled, exactly 1,000 grains of distilled water; the 
weight of the bottle, therefore, when filled with the 
mineral water, gave its specific gravity. 

The following were found to be the specific 
gravities of the various waters, distilled water being 



1,000 : 


— 






No. 1. 


Manor Baths' Well, 1,003. 




No. 2. 


Terrace Baths' Well, 1,002.4. 




No. 3. 


Charity Baths' Well, 1,002. 




No. 4. 


Parade Baths' Well, 1,001.5. 




No. 5. 


Madder Close Well, 1,001.7. 



82 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

It will be right to state here that, from the want 
of proper care in lining the wells, water from other 
sources is allowed to mix with the Spa-water; this 
circumstance, to which the proprietors of the Baths 
ought to direct their attention, was, of course, to 
some extent, a source of error in making the sub- 
joined analysis. 

The following is a statement of the effects of 
various tests on the waters : — 

On adding chloride of sodium, an abundant 
white precipitate took place, indicating the presence 
of sulphuric acid in a state of combination. 

After the expulsion of the gases by boiling, and 
the addition of an acid solution of acetate of lead, 
the waters yielded a precipitate, which also indi- 
cated the presence of a considerable proportion of 
sulphates. 

By the addition of acetate of lead, and nitrate 
of silver, before the water had stood or been boiled, 
a copious brown precipitate was furnished, which 
rendered the presence of sulphuretted hydrogen 
evident, a fact which the smell, &c, had previously 
indicated. 

On applying lime water, a precipitate, varying 
much in quantity, was given in every instance ; the 
presence of carbonic acid or of carbonates was thus 
shewn. 

On applying litmus which had been slightly 
reddened by an acid, the blue colour was again 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 83 

restored, and thus attested the presence of earthy or 
alkaline carbonates. Carbonate of lime was indi- 
cated by the formation of a film on the surface of 
the water when heated. 

Tincture of soap curdled the water very much ; 
this effect shewed the presence of earthy salts in 
large proportion. 

The precipitates with oxalate of ammonia were 
abundant, and indicated the existence of a large 
quantity of lime in combination 

On the addition of phosphate of soda, after car- 
bonate of ammonia, a precipitate was afforded 
shewing the presence of magnesia. 

The existence of Iodine and Bromine in several 
mineral waters has lately been demonstrated ; in 
many instances their quantity is so very small as 
to render it improbable that they can exert much 
influence on the human body. Within the last 
twelve months, however, Mr. West, of Leeds, has 
detected, in a mineral water at Woodhall, in Lin- 
colnshire, upwards of half a grain of Iodine in the 
imperial gallon, a quantity which would undoubtedly 
act upon the system, if the water were taken in the 
doses ordinarily prescribed at watering places. The 
above quantity of water from the same spring con- 
tains eight grains of Bromine, an agent possessing 
similar medicinal properties to Iodine. 

To ascertain whether these substances were 
present, the water was concentrated to a very high 



84 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

degree by boiling ; on the application of starch 
with the addition of chlorine water and sulphuric 
acid, no indication of the presence of Iodine was 
given. Chloride of palladium was also used, but, 
with the same result. 

In trying for bromine, chlorine was added to 
the concentrated water, and the mixture shaken 
with ether ; the ethereal solution was poured off, 
and a small quantity of potassa added ; the ether 
was evaporated and the solution of starch applied ; 
no colour was imparted either to the -ether, or to the 
starch, to render the presence of bromine evident. 

By the above processes it was satisfactorily 
demonstrated that the waters contained 



Sulphuric Acid, 
Chlorine, 
Carbonic Acid, 
Calcium, 



Magnesium, 

Sodium, 

Sulphuretted Hydrogen, 



Which, in combination, form the following salts : — 

Sulphate of Soda, Carbonate of Lime, 

Sulphate of Magnesia, Carbonate of Soda. 

Chloride of Calcium, 

These results are obtained by making the calcula- 
tions of the constituents, on the principle laid down 
by Dr. Murray, namely, that the acids unite with 
the bases to form the most soluble salts ; thus, 
according to Dr. Murray, if we have a water con- 



taimng 




Sulphuric Acid, 5, 


Lime, 3.5, 


H7drochloric Acid, 4.625, 


Soda, 4, 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 85 

The sulphuric acid would unite with the soda, 
forming sulphate of soda, and the hydrochloric acid 
with the lime, forming chloride of calcium (or 
hydrochlorate of lime), which would he the most 
soluble salts : if, however, a mixture of this kind be 
evaporated, a double decomposition takes place, 
and sulphate of lime, and chloride of sodium are 
formed, constituting the least soluble combinations 
of the elements. This is precisely what takes place 
here ; if any of the water be evaporated, a precipi- 
tate is thrown down, which consists of salts differing 
from those of the water in its natural state ; this is 
an explanation of the errors that are committed by 
confining the examination to the salts that are 
formed during evaporation, and will also account 
for the differences that will be observed between the 
results of the present and former analyses of these 
waters. 

In order to ascertain the proportions in which 
the above substances were present, the following 
processes were employed. The sulphuric acid was 
precipitated by means of chloride of barium in 
excess, nitric acid being added to prevent the for- 
mation of carbonate of barytes ; on washing and 
drying the precipitated sulphate of barytes, its 
weight was ascertained, and the quantity of sulphuric 
acid thus became known. The combined chlorine 
was then separated by means of nitrate of silver. 
The lime was thrown down by oxalate of ammonia ; 
i 




86 NATURAL HICTORY OF 

the precipitate was heated, and the quantity of lime 
inferred from the amount of carbonate of lime left 
after heating the oxalate. The proportion of mag- 
nesia was discovered, by separating it in the form 
of phosphate of ammonia and magnesia, by the 
addition successively of bi-carbonate of ammonia 
and phosphate of soda, and heating the precipitate 
to redness, after cautious washing. The remainder 
of the saline matter was ascertained to be carbo- 
nate of soda. 

These processes gave the amount of solid ingre- 
dients as follows : — 

Manor Well. Charity Well. 

Sulphate of Magnesia 34 grains. 18 grains. 

Chloride of Calcium 3 .... 4 . . . . 

Sulphate of Lime 110 104 

Carbonate of Lime 6 .... 12.... 

Carbonate of Soda 26 26.... 

179 164 

The solid ingredients of the other springs, viz., the 
Terrace, South Parade, and Madder Close Wells, 
having a composition nearly similar to that of the 
Charity Well, it has not been thought necessary to 
introduce the result of their analysis, although each 
was carefully examined. The quantity of saline 
matter found in the Terrace Well was 144 grains, 
in the South Parade Well 140 grains, and in the 
Madder Close Well 100 grains. 

On attempting to separate the salts from the 
water by evaporation, they react on each other, and 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 87 

carbonate of lime, chloride of sodium, and sulphate 

of soda are amongst the precipitated salts. 

In order to ascertain the nature of the gaseous 

constituents, a known quantity of water was placed 

in a flask, and the gas was expelled by long boiling 

under the flame of a spirit lamp. The gas was 

collected over water, and received into a narrow 

graduated glass vessel. The following were the 

results, calculated for the imperial gallon and the 

wine pint.* 

Imp. Gall. Wine Pint. 

1. Manor Bath Well 21* 2.213 

2. Terrace Bath Well 35 3.646 

3. Charity Bath Well 26£ 2.75 

4. South Parade Bath Well 25 2.603 

5. Madder Close Well 38 3.957 

The quantity of sulphuretted hydrogen was ascer- 
tained, by exposing the gas, for a short time, in a 
narrow tube, to a solution of acetate of lead ; the 
amount of absorption indicated the quantity of this 
constituent, the proportion of which in the several 
springs, was as follows :— 

Imp. Gal. Wine Pint. 

1. Manor Bath Well, Inches. 8 830 

2. Terrace Bath Well 8} 859 

3. Charity Bath Well 6£ 677 

4. South Parade Bath Well 6 625 

5. Madder Close Bath Well 14 1.458 



* The wine pint is here introduced, at the suggestion of Mr. 
West, for the purpose of affording an easy comparison of these 
results, with those from other wells, as given by Dr. Granville, who 
adopts this measure in his work on the mineral waters of Britain. 



88 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

The remaining gas was agitated with a solution of 
potassa, aod the amount of further absorption gave 
the following proportions of carbonic acid : — 

Imp. Gal. Wine Pint. 

1. Manor Bath Well, Inches. 5£ 547 

2. Terrace Bath Well 14f 1.536 

3. Charity Bath Well 8| 901 

4. South Parade Bath Well 8 830 

5. Madder Close Bath WeU 13 1.354 

The unabsorbed portion might still contain hydro- 
gen, carburetted hydrogen, oxygen, or nitrogen. 
After adding various proportions of oxygen to the 
gas, and on passing through it the electric spark, 
no explosion took place ; a proof that no appreci- 
able quantity of hydrogen, or carburetted hydrogen, 
was present. On adding hydrogen and oxygen, and 
on exploding them, the diminution of gas was not 
more than equal to that which had been introduced, 
and was thus indicative of the absence of oxygen 
in the water. The unabsorbed portion was, there- 
fore, nitrogen, of which there were the following 
quantities : — 

Imp. Gal. Wine Pint, 

1. Manor Bath Well Inches. 8 83 

2. Terrace Bath WeU 12 1.26 

3. Charity Bath Well Hi 1.171 

4. South Parade Bath WeU 11 1.145 

5. Madder Close Bath WeU 11 1.145 

These results are somewhat different from those 
obtained by former analysts ; but, it must be borne 
in mind that all previous examinations had been 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 89 

entirely confined to the Manor Bath Wells. The 
analysis of Dr. Short was made when chemistry was 
little understood, and the nomenclature of that period 
renders it a difficult matter to ascertain the precise 
nature of the ingredients he alluded to. It appears 
that all waters exhibiting prismatic crystals like 
those of sulphate of magnesia, were supposed to 
possess nitre. By the term " marine salt" was pro- 
bably understood the chloride of sodium or common 
salt, and that this substance was intended by Dr. 
Short, seems to be proved by the language of 
Elliott, who published a work on mineral waters 
in 1 789, and who, in speaking of this water, says 
that each gallon " contains 48 grains of vitriolated 
magnesia, with a little sea-salt and a drachm and 
a half of earth." This statement was probably 
copied from Dr. Short's work, and gave to his ex- 
pressions the correct explanation. 

The next analyst of these waters was Mr. 
Brewerton, ofBawtry; his experiments were con- 
ducted with great care, and a full detail of them 
was published in his work. In arriving at his con- 
clusions he did not adopt the principle laid down by 
Dr. Murray, but estimated the contents of the spring 
from the salts that were left after evaporation. The 
principle of Dr. Murray was at that time new, and 
had to contend with the opposition of those who 
had made their calculations from the dried contents 
of waters; and it was only in accordance with re- 
i3 



90 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

ceived opinions that Mr. Brewerton pursued the old 
mode of analysis. 

By a reference to Mr. Brewerton's book it will 
be seen that many of his experiments gave varying 
results, so much so that his final statements can 
only be looked upon, as they avowedly were by 
himself, in the light of approximations to the truth. 
The following is the result of his analysis : — 

Gaseous ingredients in four wine pints of Askern 
water. 

Cubic Inches. 

Sulphuretted Hydrogen. . . 3.33 

Carbonic Acid 2 

Oxygen 13 

Nitrogen 1.53 

6.99 

Salts, &c, in four wine pints : — 

Sulphate of Lime 36.66 

Sulphate of Magnesia 4.5 

Carbonate of Lime 13.16 

Carbonate of Alumina 43 

Muriate of Lime 19 

Muriate of Magnesia 1.45 

Fetid resin of Sulphur 1.35 

57.74 



The existence of soda, and the absence of alumina, 
as shewn in our late analysis, constitute the greatest 
difference between this and former ones. The 
H fetid resin of sulphur," mentioned by Mr. Brewer- 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 91 

ton, appears to have been organic matter to which 
I shall allude when speaking of the origin of the 
ingredients of these springs. 

The next published analysis was that of Mr. 
Murray, a Lecturer on Chemistry, who took the 
opportunity of a short stay at Askern to examine 
the waters ; the results of his analysis appeared in 
a July number of the Doncaster Gazette, for the 
year 1821. Mr. Murray's examination was, how- 
ever, made in too great haste for much reliance to 
be placed on his conclusions, some of which are, in 
fact, inconsistent with his own experiments. The 
following is the result of Mr. Murray's analysis : — 

Saline contents of six ounces of water : — 

Grains. 

Alum 0.25 

Muriate of Soda and Magnesia 0.50 

Carbonate of Lime *. 4.25 

Loss 0.25 

5.25 

Gaseous contents : — 

Sulphuretted Hydrogen. 
Sulphuretted Azote. 
Atmospheric Air. 

The presence of sulphuretted hydrogen is un- 
doubted, but the existence of sulphuretted azote is 
certainly not proved by the experiments of Mr. 
Murray ; and it may be fairly questioned whether 
the compound of sulphur and nitrogen, which has 
recently been obtained by Souberain, and which had 



92 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

not been procured in a separate form when Mr. 
Murray wrote, can exist in a state of solution in a 
mineral water. 

The large quantity of Carbonate of Lime is not 
to be found, as here stated ; if such were the case, 
the so called petrifying power of the water would 
far exceed that of any spring of the kind known in 
this country. The presence of Alumina was not, 
as I have noted above, in any way confirmed by 
our recent analysis. Oxygen, as a constituent of 
atmospheric air, was, by Mr. Murray, supposed to 
be present: it was not discovered by our more 
careful investigation. This gas is found constantly 
in waters exposed to the atmosphere, but appears 
to be very rare in mineral springs containing 
sulphuretted hydrogen and carbonic acid. The 
absence of carbonic acid in Mr. Murray's analysis 
is accounted for by his supposing that the carbonate 
of lime exists in the state of a super-salt; but, as 
the super or bi-carbonate of lime is not recognised 
as a salt by modern chemists, the carbonic acid has 
been considered in the present analysis as free. 
That there is more carbonic acid than would merely 
form a super salt with the carbonate of lime is 
proved by the existence of the same quantity of 
carbonate of lime, with unequal proportions of 
carbonic acid, in the various wells. 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 93 



SECTION III. 

ON THE ORIGIN OP THE MINERAL WATER OF 

ASKERN AND ITS CONTENTS. 

The source of sulphureous waters has always been 
a subject of considerable interest, as they present 
so great a departure from the ordinary constitution 
of the waters of the earth, and retain, through such 
lengthened periods of time, the same character. 

The origin of the numerous springs with which 
the earth abounds has been variously explained ; 
some have "referred it to the great reservoir, the 
ocean, supposing that the water finds its way from 
thence through the clefts and fissures of the strata 
of the earth. According to this theory, the great 
difference in composition between the various 
mineral waters and that of the ocean has been 
thought to arise from the sea-water becoming altered 
by percolating through sand, and by passing over 
other ingredients ; this explanation may apply to 
springs situated near the sea side, but is quite in- 
adequate to account for the origin and existence of 
those in the interior of continents, and on the sum- 
mits of mountains at vast distances from the ocean. 



94 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

Another cause that has been assigned is the 
existence of water, in a state of vapour, in the 
central parts of the earth, the result of volcanic 
action ; in this form it conies forth, as from the 
Geysers of Iceland ; in that of boiling water, or 
water of various degrees of heat, as in thermal 
springs ; or in that of water cooled down to the 
ordinary temperature of the earth. This was the 
theoiy of Scrope, and is probably correct with 
regard to the cause of the appearance of the water 
in most springs. From a geological examination 
of the district, it is very evident that volcanic agency 
has once been actively at work on the whole country 
around Askern ; and it is probable that to such a 
cause we are indebted for its springs. But the 
great source of the water is undoubtedly the atmos- 
phere, from whence it is precipitated in the form of 
rain and dew, which, after sinking to great depths, 
is brought up by the agency referred to above. 

The source of the ingredients contained in the 
water must, however, be looked for in the nature of 
the rocks and strata through which the water passes 
in its course to the surface. 

As the gaseous contents of the Askern water are 
the most prominent, the origin of these will be first 
discussed. 

Sulphuretted Hydrogen. — A variety of theories 
have been proposed to account for its appearance, 
some of which have been very discordant and 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 95 

contradictory. Two explanations have, however, 
been generally received, and, as each is adequate for 
the purpose, and is in accordance with known laws, 
I shall endeavour to point out their application to 
the springs in question, especially as the subject has 
lately obtained peculiar interest, from the discovery 
of the fact of large quantities of this gas being con- 
tained in the water of the ocean. 

The situation of sulphureous waters, especially 
those of this country, near boggy districts, gave 
rise, at a very early period, to the opinion that the 
sulphuretted hydrogen was developed from vegetable 
matter: this explanation of its origin has been 
adopted by writers on the [waters of Harrogate. 
The fact of sulphureous springs being found in 
abundance in the contiguous bogs, led to the sap- 
position that all the wells were derived from this 
source, and the inhabitants of that place generally 
entertain a notion that " the bog is the mother of 
the waters." The elevated position of the swampy 
ground also favored this view ; it was surmised 
that the waters were formed there, and that, after 
filtering through the rock, they appeared in their 
pure state at the lower wells. 

The situation of Askern in the vicinity of boggy 
ground has also led to the same supposition with 
regard to the origin of its sulphureous waters. On 
making an examination of the boggy district, for 
the purpose, if possible, of gaining evidence for the 



96 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

support of this conjecture, I found in many places,, 
to the extent of some miles, the soil and mud of 
ditches impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen : 
on farther examination, it appeared that this gas 
was only in those localities through which the 
water of the Askern pool passed, which contains 
nearly the same solid ingredients as that of the 
wells ; and as no sulphuretted hydrogen was disco- 
verable where other waters flowed, it was a necessary 
conclusion that there was something in this capable 
of producing the gas : it possesses a large quantity 
of sulphate of lime or gypsum, which contains the 
sulphur necessary to the formation of sulphuretted 
hydrogen. The action of organic matter on alkaline 
and earthy sulphates, was long ago pointed out, as a 
source of sulphuretted hydrogen, by M. Henry, of 
Paris; and Brongniart supposes that the sul- 
phureous waters of Enghien, near Paris, owe their 
origin to the same action. Dr. Hunter, in his 
work on the waters of Harrogate, after referring to 
other theories, thinks it most probable that the sul- 
phuretted hydrogen exists from the contact of the 
water with beds of vegetable matter, and, as a proof 
that such may be the case, refers to the fact that 
those waters at Harrogate which have the largest 
proportion of this gas, contain the least proportion 
of the sulphates. 

Mr. Brewerton also, in his book on Askern, has 
the following remarks : — " It must be owned our 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 97 

present chemical knowledge will not satisfactorily 
explain in what manner the water obtains its sul- 
phuretted hydrogen, though its elements exist in 
gypsum and water, but its not being explicable, is 
no argument against its being possible. Perhaps 
some substances may present themselves in the 
course of the water, which assist in destroying the 
balance of affinities among the elements of the 
gypsum, and this circumstance may be only of 
partial occurrence, or may require a great length 
of time ; otherwise, one would expect to find that 
all water arising from a bed of clay and gypsum 
would be sulphureous, which is not the case." 

In order to ascertain if vegetable matter in 
contact with the sulphates, would produce sulphur- 
etted hydrogen, I had recourse to direct experiment, 
and submitted portions of bog soil to the action of 
various sulphates ; but, failed in obtaining any of 
this gas. I then mixed various vegetable matters 
in a decaying state, with solutions of the sulphates 
of lime, soda, magnesia, and iron, and, with the three 
first, obtained evidence of the existence of a large 
quantity of sulphuretted hydrogen ; the magnesia 
was the first to show the existence of the gas, but the 
lime gave it out in the largest proportion ; the soda 
afforded the least evidence of its presence, and the 
iron gave no indication of having undergone any 
change. There was also evidently disengaged, in all 
the experiments, a quantity of carburetted hydrogen. 

K 



98 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

The following theory is offered as an explanation 
of the changes that take place in these solutions. 
When vegetable matter is added to an alkaline 
sulphate in solution, the carbon which it contains 
unites with a portion of the oxygen of both the 
water and the sulphuric acid, forming carbonic 
acid, and a sulphuret of the metal is formed ; the 
carbonic acid being in contact with the sulphuret 
and the water, decomposes them ; the result is, the 
formation of a carbonate of the oxide of the metal, 
and sulphuretted hydrogen, with carbonic acid, is 
set free. 

Whilst I was thus endeavouring to account for 
the presence of sulphuretted hydrogen in so large a 
district of the Vale of York, Professor Daniell, of 
London, was engaged in investigating the cause of 
the existence of the same gas in sea-water from 
the coast of Africa. From experiments precisely 
similar to those I have related, Professor Daniell 
came to the conclusion, that the sulphuretted 
hydrogen, which he found in the specimens of sea- 
water brought from Africa, was produced there by 
vegetable matters, carried from the great rivers, 
coming in contact with the sulphates which the 
sea- water contains. The quantity of sulphuretted 
hydrogen generated in this water is truly astonish- 
ing, some portions having been found to contain 
more of this gas than our strongest sulphureous 
springs. That such a quantity should have existed 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 99 

so long without observation is still more surprising, 
and I am inclined to think, although in opposition 
to the conclusion of so distinguished a chemist as 
Professor Daniell,* that the larger proportion of the 
sulphuretted hydrogen was formed in the specimens 
of water he examined, after they had been taken 
from the sea, and during their voyage to this 
country; and for these reasons: — 

1. In my own experiments the solutions gave 
much stronger indications of sulphuretted hydrogen 
when placed in corked bottles than when in open 
jars. 

2. Some sea-water taken near the coast of 
North and South Wales, winch was examined by 
Dr. Clem, a German chemist, contained so large a 
quantity of' this gas as to smell and taste like a 
strong sulphureous water. It cannot be supposed 
that this is really the state of the water off the 
Welsh coast, and it is only reasonable to conclude 
that the gas was developed after it was enclosed in 
bottles. 

o. A very small portion of carbonaceous matter 
would suffice to produce a large quantity of sul- 
phuretted hydrogen: a grain of carbon, according to 
the theory before given, would liberate nine cubic 
inches ; therefore, the fact of but a small quantity of 

* See his paper, on the spontaneous evolution of Sulphuretted 
Hydrogen, in the waters of the western coast of Africa, and other 
localities, in the Philosophical Magazine for July, 1841. 

rtofc. 



100 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

vegetable matter having been found does not prove 
that the sulphuretted hydrogen existed previous to 
the water being bottled ; there was probably origi- 
nally more than enough to produce the sulphuretted 
hydrogen it possessed. 

4. The large quantity of sulphuretted hydrogen, 
found by Professor Daniell, would be entirely 
destructive of both animal and vegetable life ; but 
the seas off the coast of Africa, far from being desti- 
tute in these respects, appear to be veiy prolific. 

However satisfactorily the sulphuretted hydrogen 
that occurs in small quantities may be accounted 
for by the above theory, we must seek for another 
explanation of the origin of that which is pumped 
forth, in prodigious quantities, from the craters of 
volcanoes. 

Again, the possibility of the decomposition of 
sulphates giving rise to the sulphuretted hydrogen 
in so many mineral waters is very questionable; 
several sulphureous springs are met with on the 
sides of mountains formed of primitive rocks, and in 
positions where it would be difficult to imagine that 
vegetable matter exists either in a fit state, or in a 
sufficient quantity, to produce the constant supply 
of sulphuretted hydrogen to the water, from the de- 
composition of sulphates. In many of the under- 
lying strata of Yorkshire, and other districts of this 
country, large quantities of iron pyrites, or sulphuret 
of iron, occur; and, it is the opinion of many 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 101 

chemists, that water flowing through this material, 
is decomposed ; that a portion of its hydrogen unites 
with the sulphur of the sulphuret of iron, and that 
the gas thus formed is set free. 

Carbonic Acid and Nitrogen. — The origin of 
the other gases, that are found in the waters of 
Askern, is not less interesting to the chemist and 
geologist than that of the sulphuretted hydrogen, 
although from the want of striking sensible pro- 
perties, they have obtained less notice from writers 
on mineral- springs. The carbonic acid forms a 
large portion of the gaseous contents of some of 
the springs, and gives to one or two of them their 
peculiar lively taste. Bischoff, a German writer, 
has advanced a theory of its formation which 
appears to be unobjectionable : he supposes that, 
in the lower strata of the earth, various carbonates 
are exposed to a heat sufficiently great to expel 
the carbonic acid, which being thus set free, is 
absorbed by the waters that are traversing the rocks 
in order to reach the surface. Those waters would 
have thus the most carbonic acid which are nearest 
the seat of any internal heat ; this is really the case 
with such as are found in the neighbourhood of 
volcanoes, and where the surface of the earth gives 
most decided evidence of volcanic action. Both 
with regard to this, and sulphuretted hydrogen gas, 
Professor Phillips has observed, that they occur in 
the neighbourhood of great faults in the strata ; 
k3 



102 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

such is the case near Askern, Harrogate, and other 
mineral springs in this country. These faults are 
indications of previous volcanic action, and furnish 
speedy egress to the impregnated water. 

The presence of the nitrogen is not so easily 
accounted for. Berzalius supposes that it may 
arise from the decomposition of organic matter con- 
taining nitrogen ; but, the large and contiuued 
supply of it in some waters does not support this 
hypothesis. Anglada, an Italian chemist, believes 
that it arises from absorption of atmospheric air, 
which must be supposed to exist in the interior of 
the earth ; that the nitrogen, under the high pres- 
sure, enters into combination with the water, and 
appears with it at the surface of the earth, the 
oxygen of the air being absorbed by various agents, 
as sulphur, &c. 

Salts. However difficult it may be to account 
for the gaseous ingredients, it is not a more easy 
task to explain the existence of the solid constitu- 
ents held in solution. 

The water of springs having been originally 
pure, the question arises, — from whence did they 
derive their saline ingredients ? It might be stated 
in reply, that the water, in passing through 
the strata of the earth, has dissolved the various 
salts it met with in its course ; and, this would be 
a satisfactory answer, if we knew that there existed 
in the rocks through which the water passes, great 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 103 

quantities of the substances dissolved. But this is 
not the case, and we are therefore obliged to have 
recourse to the supposition that they are formed by 
chemical agency. The solid ingredients of the 
Askern water are, sulphate of lime, carbonate of 
lime, carbonate of soda, sulphate of magnesia, and 
chloride of calcium ; of these the carbonate and 
sulphate of lime alone exist as rocks, and this 
latter is only found amongst secondary and tertiary 
formations, as the product of chemical change ; the 
remaining salts must, then, have been formed by 
chemical agency. To go further, however, into 
this interesting subject, would occupy more space 
than is consistent with my plan ; and I must refer 
those who wish for ampler information, to works 
treating more especially of these questions. (See 
Gairdner, on Mineral Springs.) 

Organic Matter. In various mineral waters 
substances have been found belonging to the or- 
ganic kingdom, and have received designations 
according to their supposed nature. In the recent 
analysis I have not made any calculation of the 
amount of organic matter in the waters of Askern. 
By a reference to Mr. Brewerton's analysis it will be 
seen that he mentions the presence of a substance, 
undoubtedly organic, which he calls, after Wes- 
trumb, the fetid resin of sulphur ; this, and other 
analogous substances have had considerable atten- 
tion given them by continental chemists. I shall 



104 NATURAL HISTORY Otf 

endeavour to explain the nature of the matter 
alluded to. 

If, at any time, the sides of the wells, or the 
pipes through which the sulphureous water is con- 
veyed, or the bottoms of the cisterns, be examined, 
there will be seen adhering to them a white flocu- 
lent substance, which, in the course of a little 
time, changes its colour, and becomes grey, or 
blackish. If this, in the early period of its exis- 
tence, be submitted to the microscope, it will be 
found to consist of a mass of single delicate fibres ; 
but, as it increases in age, these fibres give rise to 
smaller ones, which surround them in verticilli, 
constituting the plant known by the name of Con- 
fervanivea (see page 56). As this substance grows 
rapidly, so it appears to decompose rapidly, and the 
water in which it is kept has frequently an oily- 
looking film, which, on being examined by the 
microscope, presents no traces of organization. 
Whilst this film is forming, the water gives oiF a 
gas of a nauseous odour, which, although sul- 
phureous, has a different character from sulphuret- 
ted hydrogen. This decomposing matter has been 
described by continental chemists as glairine. 
Professor Anglada, who wrote largely on it, sup- 
posed it to be the result of chemical changes ; he 
examined it at the sulphureous springs of the 
Pyrenees, and points out no less than seven forms 
in which he had found it to occur. During the 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 105 

summer of 1840, I visited the sulphur springs of 
Edinburgh, Moffat, Gillesland, Middleton, and 
Croft, and in all I was enabled to detect the so- [ 
called glairine of Anglada, and saw it, I believe, 
in most of the forms mentioned by him. It existed 
in the greatest abundance at Moffat, where, the 
water flowing from a cavern in the rock, much 
more opportunity is given for the formation of this 
substance than at any of the other springs. In 
every instance I detected the Conferva nivea of 
Dillwyn, and, after an examination of this plant, 
in its various stages of growth, both in Edinburgh 
and London, I am convinced that it is the great 
source of the organic deposits in the sulphureous 
springs of this country ; and, from Professor An- 
glada's description of glairine, in his work on the 
sulphureous waters of the Pyrenees, I believe it to be 
capable, during decomposition, of producing the 
various forms of that substance which he describes. 
Dr. Daubeny, who has paid much attention to this 
subject, is also decidedly of opinion that it is of vege- 
table origin. It must have been its peculiar smell 
that led Mr. Murray to suspect the presence of a 
compound of sulphur and nitrogen in the waters of 
Askern. 

This substance, however, does not constitute 
the whole of the deposit around the sides of the 
sulphur wells ; for, whilst evaporation, and the 
escape of carbonic acid gas from the water are con- 



106 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

stantly taking place, the saline matter is deposited, 
in small quantities, upon the growing and decom- 
posing organic matter, and can be discovered 
amongst it by its crystalline character. When it 
is collected in this state, and sulphuric acid is 
poured upon it, a powerful effervescence ensues ; 
chloride of Barium indicates the presence of sul- 
phates. On throwing it on the fire, it gives out a 
smell of sulphurous acid gas, an evidence of the 
presence of sulphur, which can be accounted for in 
two ways : in the first place, it appears to enter 
into the composition of the vegetable substance, 
and is probably the element that determines its 
existence and character, as it has never been found 
where sulphur is absent ; in the second place, a 
small quantity of sulphur may be precipitated by 
the decomposition of the sulphuretted hydrogen, 
and fall down with the salts on the organic matter. 
Thus far, then, this substance, according to the 
state in which it is procured, may be composed of 
mineral and vegetable matters ; but, many writers 
who have examined it, have supposed it to be of 
animal origin, and have called it animal extractive, 
zoogene, and haregene: that it may exhibit the 
character of an animal product, occasionally, I 
have no doubt, as I have invariably seen, on keep- 
ing it for a short time, that auimalculae are gener- 
ated in it in very great abundance. I have before 
alluded to an animalcule which produces a rose- 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 107 

coloured deposit, and which I have found with the 
vegetable and mineral ingredients at the bottom of 
the water. In the sulphur wells of Harrogate, the 
deposits on their sides may be seen to consist of 
almost regular layers of dark vegetable substance, 
then the red animalculae, and over these the saline 
matter, and so on successively. This may perhaps 
account for the red colour which Anglada has ob- 
served glairine frequently assume. I also found a 
rose-coloured glairine at Moffat, depending on the 
existence of infusory animalcules ; but these were 
of a much smaller size, and evidently of a different 
family from those found by me, in the Astern and 
Harrogate waters. 

The chemical examination of this substance 
proves that it contains sulphur, nitrogen, and car- 
bon ; these are sometimes active elements ; but, 
whether they exist in this organic matter, in suf- 
ficient quantity to produce a decided effect, remains, 
1 thint, to be proved. If the glairine be developed, 
as I believe it to be, subsequently to the exposure 
of the water to the air, it can have no effect in the 
water ; but, if it be held in solution, as maintained 
by Anglada, then it may have considerable influence 
on the remedial properties of the water. 



108 NATURAL HI9TORY OF 



SECTION IT. 

HISTORY OF THE VARIOUS WELLS, AND COMPO- 
SITION OF THEIR W ITERS. 



NO. I. MANOR BATH WELLS. 

There were formerly two wells, known by the 
names of the Old and the Manor Wells. The 
present suite of buildings was erected in 18*28, by 
Humphrey Osbaldeston, Esquire ; it consists of a 
centre, occupied by the baths, and of two wings, 
containing the Pump-room, and a commodious 
promenade room. The present proprietor and 
conductor is Mr. Ward. 

The analysis of an imperial gallon of this water 
gave the following result : — 

Grains. 

Chloride of Calcium 3 

Sulphate of Magnesia 34 

Sulphate of Lime 110 

Carbonate of Lime 6 

Carbonate of Soda 26 

179 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 109 

Cubic Inches. 

Sulphuretted Hydrogen 8 

Carbonic Acid 5£ 

Nitrogen or Azote 8 

NO. II. TERRACE BATH WELL. 

The increase of the number of visitors, owing 
to the increasing celebrity of the old wells, induced 
individuals to make further search for Sulphur 
Springs, and, in 1823, this well was opened by 
Mr. Ives, and commodious Baths and a Pump- 
room were erected ; they are now the property of 
Mr. Charles Saul. The spring, which abundantly 
supplies the well, issues from a deposit of the cal- 
careous tufa, about five feet from the surface of the 
earth. 

The solid and gaseous constituents of each im- 
perial gallon are, of— 

Grains. 

Chloride of Calcium 4 

Sulphate of Magnesia 18 

Sulphate of Lime 104 

Carbonate of Lime 12 

Carbonate of Soda 26 

164 

Cubic Inches. 

Sulphuretted Hydrogen 8£ 

Carbonic Acid 14f 

Nitrogen 12 

35 
L 



110 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

NO. III. CHARITY BATH WELL. 

One of these wells, now used only internally, 
was opened in 1825, when the baths and pump- 
room were erected by the late Mr. Osbaldeston. 
The supply from it not having been found sufficient 
for the increasing demand upon the Bath Charity, 
two new wells have been more recently opened, from 
whence the water is derived which is used for 
bathing. The springs that supply these three wells 
all rise in the peat soil on the south-west side of the 
pool. 

The solid contents are the same as those of the 
Terrace Bath Well ; the quantity of gaseous ingre- 
dients is, of— 

Cubic Inches. 

Sulphuretted Hydrogen 6£ 

Carbonic Acid 8f 

Nitrogen 11£ 

26i 

The charitable institution above alluded to was 
founded in 1825, at the joint suggestion of Dr. Oxley, 
and of Mr. Raisin, of York, who at that period 
was visiting Askern for the benefit of his health. 
These gentlemen having accidentally met, and 
having discussed and determined upon the de- 
sirableness of such an establishment, an application 
was made to the late Viscount Galway, the Lord 
of the Manor, and his patronage secured. Sub- 
scriptions were afterwards obtained, and Mr. 
Keyworth, surgeon, of Askern, was appointed 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. Ill 

Secretary : under his superintendence, and that of 
his successor, Dr. Oxley, the institution has attained 
its present flourishing state. 

The Patroness of this Institution is Miss 
Brooke, of Gateforth ; President, G. Cooke Yar- 
borough, Esq. ; Vice-President, the Incumbent of 
Campsall, Ex-Officio ; Trustees, Lord Hawke, 
Lord Feversham, Sir W. B. Cooke, Bart., P. 
Davies Cooke, Esq., R. F. Wilson, Esq., Rev. E. 
Rudd; Treasurers, Sir W. B. Cooke, Bart, and 
Co. ; Physician, Dr. Oxley ; Secretary, Mr. I. F. 
Oxley. The following are the Rules : — 

1. Every annual Subscriber of One Pound shall recommend 
three Patients in each Season, i. e. between May 1 and October 
31. In like manner three Patients for every additional Pound. 
Such Subscriber may recommend more than three Patients for 
each Pound, provided they do not require the weekly allowance, 
and their bathing expenses do not exceed the amount of the Mem- 
ber's Subscription. Every Subscriber of Ten Shillings will be 
allowed to recommend one Patient. 

2. Every past and future Donor of Ten Pounds shall have the 
privilege of recommending annually for life two Patients ; every 
future Donor of Five Pounds shall be entitled to recommend two 
Patients in each year for five years ; and every Donor of One 
Pound and under Five shall be entitled to recommend two Patients 
for every Donation of a Pound for that season. 

3. Persons may be sent at the expense of their respective 
Parishes, and admitted at the rate of Is. per week to the use of the 
Bath, such persons finding Board and Lodging and Medicine 
themselves, or at the expense of the Parishes to which they belong. 

4. An occasional Contribution of Five Pounds and upwards 
constitutes a life Governor ; and every annual Subscriber of One 
Pound is a Governor for the year of his subscription. 



112 NATURAL HISTORY OP 

5. Every Subscriber recommending a Patient, shall address a 
letter to the Secretary, if by post, post-paid, stating the character 
of the Patient, whether he is a proper object for the weekly allow- 
ance, or the Baths only, and containing a Surgeon's certificate to 
the nature of the complaint. 

6. Every Patient shall defray his own expenses to and from 
Askern, and support himself until he can receive the weekly al- 
lowance. All Patients receiving weekly allowance are required to 
reside at Askern. 

7. Patients will in future be admitted to the Charity only upon 
Monday and Friday in each week, between the hours of Eleven 
and Five. 

8. Patients conducting themselves in an intemperate or dis- 
orderly manner may be discharged from further use of the Bath of 
the Charity, and from further weekly allowance. 

9. Every Patient so recommended shall have medical advice, 
medicines, and the use of the Baths gratuitously, together with an 
allowance of Four Shillings per week (if in need of such pecuniary 
aid) for three weeks, or longer, according as the Committee may 
determine. 

10. The Patrons, President, Vice-President, Trustees, Gover- 
nors, Secretary, Treasurer, Physician, and Surgeon, shall form a 
Committee, three of whom shall have the power to act ; and the 
Committee shall meet on the first Thursday in every month during 
the season. 

11. In any emergency, the Secretary may call a Special 
Meeting of the Committee. 

12. The Annual Meeting shall be holden on the last Monday 
in July, to audit the Accounts, &c. 

13. Subscriptions and Donations will be received by the 
Secretary and Treasurers. Annual Subscriptions due May 1st, to 
be paid in advance. 

14. No proposition hereafter made" at a Monthly or Special 
Meeting of the Committee, shall be admitted as a Rule until it be 
confirmed at the Annual Meeting. 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 118 

NO. IV. SOUTH PARADE BATHS. 

The well that supplies these baths was opened 
by Mr. Coe in 1827. The spring issues from 
the peat soil, near the road, in Madder Close, and 
lies nearer the Magnesian limestone than any of 
the other springs; its depth from the surface of the 
earth is about five feet. 

The solid constituents of this water are the same 
as those of the Charity Bath wells ; the imperial 
gallon contains, of— 

Cubic Inches. 

Sulphuretted Hydrogen 6 

Carbonic Acid 8 

Nitrogen 11 

25 
NO. V. MADDER CLOSE WELL. 

A further supply of water being needed for the 
South Parade Baths, another spring was opened in 
Madder Close, in the summer of 1828 ; it is ex- 
ceedingly abundant, affording not less than 5,000 
gallons in an hour. 

The solid constituents of this water are the 
same as that of the other wells, but are somewhat 
less in quantity. The proportion of gases in the 
imperial gallon is, of — 

Cubic Inches. 

Sulphuretted Hydrogen 14 

Carbonic Acid 13 

Nitrogen 11 

38 

l3 



] 14 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



CHAPTER V. 



ON THE MEDICAL USES OF THE MINERAL 
WATER OF ASKERN. 



SECTION I. 
ON THE USE OF MINERAL WATERS IN GENERAL, 

Amongst the various agents that have been em- 
ployed by man to prevent or cure disease, none, 
perhaps, have had a longer or more variable repu- 
tation than mineral waters. In the early period of 
the existence of our race, those objects were resorted 
to, as remedies for disease, which possessed the most 
striking physical properties, and were most easily 
obtained. In this two-fold character, mineral waters 
presented themselves, and according to their judi- 
cious or injudicious application, were their effects 
upon disease. Most of the early Greek and Roman 
writers refer to them as used in their time. Homer 
describes medicinal springs issuing from the banks 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 115 

of the Scamander. Hippocrates has recorded some 
of their effects in disease. Aristotle has left a theory 
of their origin, and Horace speaks in praise of the 
waters of Baise, which remain impregnated with 
sulphuretted hydrogen to the present day. By the 
Greeks and Romans they were thought worthy of 
consecration to their deities, and Hercules was 
made their tutelar divinity, a proof of strong belief 
in the invigorating powers of these remedies. But, 
in giving them a divinity, they erected a temple, 
and introduced a priesthood, who soon found means 
to impose upon the credulity of those who resorted 
to the waters for health. This led to their disuse 
when the Christian religion began to spread, as its 
disciples avoided, with horror, all those practices 
that were connected with the rites of heathen 
worship. The revival of their use amongst modern 
nations appears to have been commenced with 
Charlemagne, who fixed his residence at Aix la 
Chapelle, for the sake of drinking, and bathing in, 
its waters. The mineral springs of England that 
obtained the earliest reputation, were those of 
Bath, which appear to have been resorted to by 
both Romans and Saxons on their invasion of this 
country. 

At the present day, the value of mineral waters 
is generally acknowledged, and they are conse- 
quently much resorted to both at home and abroad ; 
a watering place is, however, not unfrequently a 



116 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

fashionable rendezvous, and it is probable that 
those who seek amusement and relaxation, in a 
change of scene, at our mineral spas, equal in 
number those who are seeking health from the 
waters. 

As, in the earlier periods of the history of 
mineral waters, their consignment to the care of 
priests became the means of leading to various 
impositions, and assigning to the waters properties 
which they could not possibly possess ; so, at the 
present day, this tendency to overrate their powers 
exhibits itself amongst those who have an imme- 
diate interest in the recourse of the sick to these 
springs. Nor has this extravagance been confined 
to the interested alone, for many great names in 
medical science have sanctioned the belief of a 
potency in mineral waters, that ac cm-ate investiga- 
tion will not confirm. Long lists of diseases are 
given, which had resisted almost every variety of 
medical treatment, and are reported to have been 
easily cured by the mineral water recommended, 
all mention of other circumstances that had doubt- 
less conspired to this end, being carefully avoided. 
The dogmatism with which these statements have 
been made, and the evident unfairness of many of 
the conclusions, have, on the other hand, raised up 
a number of opponents. This is but the history of 
almost all the valuable medicines that have been 
added to our stock of curative means ; their 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 117 

discoverers or introducers, anxious to gain for their 
favourite remedies an immediate attention, seek 
only for proofs of their efficacy, and frequently 
publish those which are of a doubtful kind; the 
consequence is that they do not realize, in the 
practice of others, the statements of their advocates, 
and they become undeservedly neglected, or op- 
posed. Thus has it been with mineral waters, and 
they have probably lost more of their reputation by 
their friends than by their foes. 

It would not be consistent with the scope of this 
work, to enter into any lengthened defence of 
mineral waters in general. It is admitted on all 
hands that patients are cured of diseases by visiting 
mineral springs ; but, what the opponents of their 
use object to, is, that persons persist in ascribing 
their restoration to the efficacy of the waters, in- 
stead of the altered circumstances by which the 
invalids are surrounded, and to which, they say, 
the cure should be attributed. It must be allowed 
that these circumstances are capable of producing 
very beneficial effects, but surely some proof should 
be given of their power alone to cure certain diseases, 
before the mineral waters are rejected as useless. 
The fact is, that a mineral water is frequently a 
powerful medicine, and when judiciously used is 
one of the many things that contribute to restore 
health. 



118 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



SECTION II. 

ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES ATTENDING THE USE OF 
MINERAL WATERS. 

In order to estimate the real effects of a visit to a 
mineral spring upon an individual, all the circum- 
stances influencing the condition both of mind and 
body, should be taken into consideration. For 
instance, where persons have lived in large towns, 
the life they lead at a watering place is a perfect 
contrast to that which they have led at home. 
Rising and going to bed early, regular meals, exer- 
cise, and pure air, are substituted for their contraries, 
and to these are frequently added an agreeable 
journey, entirely new scenes, and removal from a 
thousand injurious excitements. Persons suffering 
from disease in towns, whether amidst the luxurious 
ease and affluence of the rich, or the filth and 
wretchedness of the poor, will in vain expect relief 
from mineral waters or other medicines, which 
would probably restore them to health, were they 
placed in the above favourable circumstances. We 
have here, then, no argument against the use of 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 119 

mineral waters, but one strongly in their favor. I will 
not enter upon the discussion as to whether artificial 
are as efficacious as natural mineral waters ; many 
writers assert that they are not, and with much 
reason on their side, maintaining that chemistry 
may not yet have unfolded all the contents of 
natural mineral waters, and that it is impossible 
accurately to imitate their composition ; at any 
rate, it is impossible to imitate their situation ; and 
though some of them have not a fine climate and 
varied scenery, their particular locality may have a 
decided influence on the health. 

The new external condition of persons visiting- 
watering places deserve a few remarks : of these, an 
important one is 

Change of Air. — Although the atmosphere is 
composed of the same principal constituents through- 
out the world, yet it is constantly exposed to great 
differences with regard to the watery vapour it con- 
tains, the gases that may be given off from any part 
of the surface of the earth, the heat and cold to 
which it may be subjected, and the agitation of 
wind. It frequently happens that a mere change 
of air is beneficial to health, entirely independent 
of its composition or character. Some are bene- 
fited by a removal from a dry to a humid atmos- 
phere, from the air of the mountain to that of the 
valley, from the town to the country ; the opposite 
changes are in other cases advisable. These cir- 



120 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

cumstances modify materially the influence of 
watering places, and attention to them will always 
repay the valetudinarian. In the next place, 

Absence from Business fyc, must always have 
a powerful influence on the health. The constant 
stretch of the mind, in one direction, is much 
more frequently the cause of disease than is sus- 
pected ; and many persons with aches and ailments, 
to them apparently far removed from the operation 
of the mind, do not understand how they are to 
gain relief by change of pursuit. But, when it is 
considered how intimately the mind is connected 
with the nervous system, and how this system con- 
trols and influences every function of the body, 
we need not wonder at the fact of diseases of the 
body being cured by the relief given to the mind. 
To this may be traced the origin of many of the 
vaunted cures of quackery, as well as of much of 
the success of the judicious and enlightened prac- 
titioner. Give to the mind ease for anxiety, confi- 
dence for mistrust, and, in many instances, physic 
may be thrown to the dogs. The marvels wrought 
by invisible doses of medicine, magnetic tractors, 
or cold water, need no further explanation. The 
same action of the mind on the body will render 
new scenery, and new objects of attention, benefi- 
cial ; and a sick person has often been known to 
become entirely well, before arriving at his journey's 
end. 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 121 

Another element of cure, and one which is 
mostly secured by valetudinarians at watering 
places, is 

Exercise. — This, although one of the most 
necessary conditions of health, is nevertheless often 
neglected, and particularly in our large towns. It 
is no uncommon thing for females of the higher and 
middle classes to keep within doors for days and 
weeks together, not having the advantages of the 
servants of their households, whose occupations 
generally secure them against inaction ; others are 
obliged to forego exercise on account of sedentary 
employments. The want of exercise is detrimental 
to all, whatever may be their station in life, sex, or 
age : local congestions and nervous derangements 
are the result; which, from their reaction on the 
mind, frequently make the life miserable, and, if 
they do not lay the foundations of serious and fatal 
diseases, drive their victims eagerly to seek at a 
watering place, that relief which they have not 
known how to obtain at home : there they frequent 
the springs as an object of interest, and seek amuse- 
ment for their leisure hours, and thus take that 
exercise, the neglect of which alone has, perhaps, 
produced their languid and disordered frames ; the 
consequence is that a rapid improvement is soon 
visible. 

These circumstances, and many others, should 
be taken into consideration, in endeavouring to 

M 



122 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

estimate the remedial efficacy of a mineral water : 
but, although some of them singly would effect a 
cure of many diseases, there can be little doubt in 
an unprejudiced mind, that the various saline and 
gaseous constituents of mineral waters have an in- 
fluence on the health. Independent also of these 
ingredients, the ingestion of water, and the employ- 
ment of it as a bath, are capable of effecting desirable 
changes in the system. 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 123 



SECTION III. 
ON BATHS AND BATHING. 

Previous to speaking of the peculiarities of the 
Askern waters, I shall make a few remarks on the 
use of haths and hathing generally, which will he 
confined to those kinds of haths, and that use of 
them, which the establishments of Askern afford. 

From the earliest times, the habit of immersing 
the body in water of various temperatures has pre- 
vailed amongst mankind : with some of the nations 
of antiquity, bathing has been enjoined as a religious 
rite ; with others, it has constituted a chief luxury ; 
whilst in all it appears to have been recognised as 
a powerful means both of restoring and preserving 
health. In modern times, it has comparatively 
fallen into disuse, and especially in our own country, 
where, perhaps, a greater amount of evil attends its 
neglect, as a means of preventing disease, than in 
any other ; it is not, however, as an agent for pre- 
serving health that I must here speak of bathing, 
but rather as one for the recovery of it when lost. 

In the application of water as a bath, it may be 
employed at almost any temperature ; but, that 



124 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

which is generally used, is between the 33rd and 
112th degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer. When 
the contact of the water with the body produces a 
sensation of cold, it is called a cold bath, and when 
that of heat, a warm bath: this, however, is an 
arbitrary division, and the line between cold and 
warm cannot very accurately be drawn ; but we 
may, for the large majority of persons, place it 
between the 84th and 88th degrees. In order to 
divide the range of bathing temperature for practical 
purposes, Dr. Forbes, under the article " Bathing" 
in the Cyclopaedia of Practical Medicine, proposes 
the following classification : — 

1. The Cold Bath from 33° to 60° 

2. The Cool Bath. 60° .. 75° 

3. The Temperate Bath 75° . . 85" 

4. The Tepid Bath '. . . . 85° . . 92° 

5. The Warm Bath 92° . . 98* 

6.TheHotBath 98° ..112° 

1. The Cold Bath. — When a person enters 
water at a temperature of from 33 deg. to 60 deg., a 
feeling of cold is experienced, combined with a 
confused mental feeling, and a deep inspiration is 
taken ; these symptoms, which are called the shock, 
and which vary in intenseness according to the 
degree of cold of the bath, are followed rapidly in 
those of sufficient vigour of constitution by a plea- 
surable sensation of warmth, an evidence of salutary 
reaction ; the water no longer feels cold, and if the 
person come out of it in this state, and the body be 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 125 

immediately dried, the sensation of warmth con- 
tinues, and is sometimes even succeeded by 
perspiration : should he remain in the bath an 
undue length of time, the feeling of cold would 
return, which would go on increasing, until numb- 
ness, and a loss of sensation, would be the conse- 
quence, and life at last be extinguished. Under 
the influence of the cold the skin turns pale, and the 
surface is diminished in bulk ; the pulse becomes 
smaller and slower, and a sense of oppression is felt 
at the chest. These phenomena are the result of the 
action of the water on the nervous and circulating 
systems : the first shock arises from the impression 
of cold on the nerves of sense, combined with the 
sudden driving away of the blood from the surface 
to the central parts of the body. The reaction is 
produced by the stimulating effects of the blood on 
the heart and brain, by which their powers are, as 
it were, summoned to repel the enemy from without, 
and, in vigorous constitutions, these powers are 
always ready to obey the summons : the heart acts 
more rapidly, more animal heat is evolved, and thus 
the agreeable glow is kept up ; but there are bounds 
to this reaction, which cannot be prolonged for an 
indefinite period. 

Medicinally, the cold bath is had recourse to for 

the purpose of producing the state of reaction, and 

constitutes one of the most effective tonics that can 

be employed ; in the use of it, care must always be 

m3 



126 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

taken that the system is capable of instituting the 
stage of reaction ; with this precaution, it will be 
found an useful remedy in chronic diseases char- 
acterized by langour of the circulation, tendency to 
profuse perspiration, and various nervous symp- 
toms, as tremors, head-ach, and erratic pains. 
Plethoric persons, and those liable to inflammatory 
affections of the lungs, congestion of the head, &c, 
should not be allowed to use the cold bath. 

Nearly similar effects follow the use of cold 
water in the form of the shower bath, cold affusion, 
and the douche : as a preventive of catarrh, and 
many of the slight derangements of the health, 
which are often the beginnings, when neglected, of 
fatal disease, nothing is perhaps more effectual than 
the habitual use, through the whole year, of the 
shower bath or cold affusion. 

The Cold Bath is not much used at Askern, 
but cases, in which it is applicable, may occur, 
where the sulphureous impregnation of the water 
would enhance, in some measure, the value of the 
remedy. 

The Cool and the Temperate Baths should be 
used where it is desirable to produce only a small 
amount of the effects of the cold bath. 

The Warm Bath. — On entering water at a 
temperature between 92 deg. and 98 deg., a feeling 
of pleasurable excitement is produced, which is the 
more agreeable in proportion as the body has been 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 127 

previously exposed to cold : the functions of the 
skin are promoted, and experiment has proved that 
it takes up a considerable quantity of the water 
into the system, and that a certain amount of the 
fluids of the body pass out from it ; the solids are 
relaxed and softened, and the action of the blood- 
vessels of the surface is stimulated, so that blood is 
drawn from the internal parts, and the circulation is 
thus equalised ; the action of the heart is also in- 
creased in most cases, and the number of its pulsa- 
tions is proportionate to the degree of heat of the 
bath. 

The warm bath is a gentle excitant, and, on 
account of the large surface on which it acts, is a 
very valuable remedy ; it is especially so in all those 
frequent cases which are attended with congestion 
of the mucous membranes of various organs ; thus, 
in indigestion, dependent on an excited state of the 
vessels of the mucous membrane of the stomach and 
intestinal canal, likewise in affections of the same 
kind, of the bronchia, uterus, and urinary passages, 
it is productive of benefit ; after bleeding, in most in- 
flammatory diseases, it may be used with advantage, 
as also in many of the severer forms of neuralgic 
disease, and the derangements of the nervous 
system ; in gout, unattended with plethora, and in 
chronic rheumatism, it is a remedy of considerable 
influence ; from its immediate action on the skin, it 
is of great service in the numerous forms of 



128 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

cutaneous disease ; it affords great relief to the 
fatigue which is felt after excessive bodily exertion 
of any kind, or after travelling ; in those states of 
the body, also, in which there is irregular distribu- 
tion of the blood, lowness of spirits, and langour of 
the circulation, indicating a proclivity to disease, 
the use of the warm bath may be the means of pre- 
venting the invasion of serious maladies. 

In gout, chronic rheumatism, and many varieties 
of skin disease, the addition of sulphuretted hydro- 
gen to the bath renders it much more efficacious. 

The time during which a person should be 
immersed must vary according to circumstances ; 
the most usual time is from a quarter of an hour to 
twenty five minutes ; this may, however, in many 
complaints, be prolonged with great advantage, and 
where persons do not suffer from continuance in the 
bath, it would be well to lengthen the period, until 
some decided effect is produced. In many of the 
watering places of Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, 
people are in the habit of spending several hours of 
the day in the warm bath, and with very beneficial 
results; no immediate danger is to be appre- 
hended from this practice, and the only precaution 
necessary is, the keeping the water at a proper 
temperature. 

The part of the day at which a bath is taken 
is often a matter of convenience, or even in some 
watering places, one of fashion. The best time for 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 129 

persons who remain up all day is between breakfast 
and dinner ; if, however, it be desirable for perspira- 
tion to be produced, the evening is more favourable, 
the patient retiring to bed without delay ; persons 
should not expose themselves to cold, and, if 
delicate, they will do wisely to refrain from 
going into the open air tor an hour or two after im- 
mersion. 

The repetition of this remedy will depend on 
the physical ability of each individual to bear it ; if 
it be not followed by languor, or excitement, it may 
be taken daily ; but, as a general rule, every second 
or third day will be found sufficient. 

In estimating the effects of baths on the system, 
their saline ingredients ought to be taken into con- 
sideration ; however, on the continent, and by some 
writers in this country, a ridiculous importance has 
been given to the subject, the action of baths, 
whose only difference consisted in a few grains of 
almost inert salts, having been chronicled with the 
greatest minuteness. As a rule it may be stated 
that the larger the quantity of saline ingredients in 
a water, the more stimulating and tonic will it be ; 
in acute and active diseases, therefore, the value of 
the bath will be in proportion to the purity of its 
water : in cutaneous diseases, also, a large quantity of 
saline matter is frequently found to irritate, or even 
small portions of irritating salts, such as chloride of 
sodium, &c, will be injurious. 



130 NATURAL HISTORY OP 

The Tepid and Temperate Baths are fre- 
quently used at Askern, especially in chronic 
rheumatism, and cutaneous diseases: the lower 
temperature is employed with the view of dissipat- 
ing as little as possible of the sulphuretted hydrogen 
gas ; and, in those cases, where it is an object to 
apply this gas, rather than any particular degree of 
heat, this is a good practice. 

The Hot Bath is a powerful stimulant : on 
entering water heated above 98 degrees, the heart's 
action is increased, the surface of the body becomes 
swollen, and a general excitement of the system 
takes place ; these symptoms are soon followed by 
debility and torpor, and the skin breaks out into a 
copious perspiration ; if the patient remain long in 
the water, giddiness ensues, and a state of insensi- 
bility is induced, which would soon destroy life : it 
is unnecessary to add that great caution should be 
exercised in prescribing so powerfully exciting a 
remedy as the hot bath. In those states in which 
the skin is very pale and bloodless, and the extre- 
mities cold, as in spasmodic cholera, and some in- 
tense inflammatory affections of the internal viscera, 
it will be found of service when used for a few 
minutes; in cases of sudden disappearance of 
measles, scarlet fever, &c, it frequently restores the 
eruption ; in paralysis, where much external sensa- 
tion has been lost, it has proved of very remarkable 
use ; and in chronic rheumatism, attended with 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 131 

rigidity of the joints, a like success has followed its 
application. 

The Vapour Bath is an useful modification of, 
and in its general effects resembles, the warm and 
hot bath ; it acts, however, much more decidedly on 
the skin, being almost invariably attended with 
copious perspiration: in many cases of chronic 
cutaneous disease, and of obstinate rheumatism 
and gout, this form of bath is very useful, but it re- 
quires to be employed with great care, and it is not 
suited to plethoric persons. 



13*2 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



SECTION IV. 

ON THE MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF THE ASKERN 
WATERS. 

Although the analysis of the waters of Askern 
does not present any constituent whose acknow- 
ledged action on the system is of a very specific 
nature ; yet, in the present state of chemistry, it 
cannot be denied, that these springs may possess 
ingredients, hitherto undiscovered, which may exert 
considerable influence. The plausibility of this 
supposition is supported by the fact, of the great 
benefit which resulted in cases of Goitre, and 
certain forms of Scrofula, from the drinking of 
mineral waters which, at one time, had no discovered 
ingredients that would account for their peculiar 
efficacy ; such waters were afterwards found to 
contain Iodine and Bromine, two powerful remedies 
in these diseases, and thus their effects were ex- 
plained. 

Dr. Daubeny remarks, in the excellent report 
before referred to, that " to refuse credence to the 
reports given by medical men, with respect to the 
salutary or injurious influence of a particular water, 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 133 

merely because the chemist can discover in it no 
active principle, would seem a proceeding not less 
unphilosophical than that of which our predecessors 
were guilty, in treating as fabulous the accounts 
given of stones, that had fallen from the sky, 
because they did not understand how such pon- 
derous masses could have continued suspended 
in it." 

" Chemists, in the pride of half-knowledge, may 
have smiled at the faith reposed in the water of 
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in Leicestershire, and Kreutz- 
nach in the Palatinate, both of which until lately 
appeared to be little more than mere saturated solu- 
tions of common salt : but now that they are known 
to contain Iodine and Bromine, we see the secret 
of their then mysterious agency." 

But, whilst admitting the possibility of the pre- 
sence of hitherto undetected agents in the Askern 
waters, it is certain that their known constituents, 
on the action of which I will here subjoin a few 
remarks, exert a powerful influence on the system. 

And first, with regard to the vehicle, the water, 
in which all the other ingredients are contained, an 
agent which plays so important a part in the economy 
of nature, and has so remarkable relations to the 
health, and even existence of man. That water 
alone may act as a powerful medicine, especially 
when it replaces the various stimulating beverages 
which persons are in the habit of taking, there can 

N 






134 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

be no question ; and, if in addition to this change, 
for a sedentary and indolent life, there be substituted 
one of active and regular exercise, great cures may 
be anticipated. It is in this way that Priessnitz, 
the peasant of the Grafenberg, has succeeded in 
curing by cold water and exercise, many of those 
whose lazy and luxurious habits would hare resisted 
the favourable action of the most potent medicines ; 
it is not, however, to be supposed that such a system 
will cure all diseases, and hydropathy, like homoe- 
opathy, and a thousand other forms of quackery, 
results from a desire to vaunt as of universal effi- 
cacy that which is only in certain cases beneficial. 
It is not because a remedy cures one disease or ten 
diseases that it is good for all, and it is only those 
whose minds are incapable of distinguishing one 
thing from another that can fall into such an error ; 
it is this false reasoning that constitutes the pre- 
tensions of the quack, and an inability to distinguish 
its absurdity that characterizes his dupes. 

That cold pure water is a remedy of consider- 
able influence is not a modern discover}-, and many 
able physicians have warmly advocated its employ- 
ment : the celebrity, indeed, of some of the spas of 
England, depends on their presenting an almost 
pure water; such are the springs of Malvern in 
Worcestershire, Ilkley in Yorkshire, and many 
others on the continent. The effects of these waters 
have been minutely detailed by various authors; 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 135 

and there can be little doubt that both their internal 
and external use has been very beneficial in many 
diseases. 

The mode in which water benefits health is un- 
doubtedly through its influence on the secretions of 
the body ; and here I would make a remark, which 
may explain, in some measure, the salutary effects 
arising from mineral waters generally : we always 
find those remedies which promote the various 
secretions, most valuable in those states where it is 
clearly indicated by the present or past character 
of the secretions, that they have been primarily 
disordered-. If we consider how small a change is 
required in chemical compounds, to render bodies 
eminently noxious that were before comparatively 
inert, we are prepared to ascribe powerful effects to 
those changes in the secretions which accompany 
severe forms of disease : in the kidneys, the liver, 
and the mucous membranes, we see disease follow- 
ing a departure from their healthy functions ; and 
this is probably the case with other organs, whose 
secretions we cannot so accurately investigate. 
From this we may conclude that whatever produces 
a decided effect on the secretory system, may be 
expected to relieve those diseases which are con- 
nected with, or dependent on, an alteration of the 
natural secretions. 

Water, and fluids in general, have probably a 
more important influence on the secretions than is 



136 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

usually supposed : when taken into the stomach, 
the liquid is absorbed, and then introduced into 
the blood, from whence it is got rid of by the various 
secreting surfaces, as the skin, kidneys, and mucous 
membranes of the lungs and intestines ; in cases of 
disorder of these organs, such an action alone is 
often capable of restoring their healthy functions, 
and gives relief in many forms of indigestion, 
bilious derangement, &c. The drinking of large 
quantities should be accompanied with exercise; 
for, unless the circulation be active enough to throw 
off the water by the secreting vessels, it would thin 
the blood, and be deposited in structures from 
whence it might not be easily removed: persons 
with a languid circulation, and unequal to exercise, 
should always avoid taking much fluid. 

The next agent of which I shall speak, and 
which is undoubtedly the most important one in the 
waters of Askern, is the Sulphuretted Hydrogen or 
hydrosulphuric acid ; this gas is frequently met with 
in nature, as the product of the decomposition of 
organized bodies, and more seldom as the result of 
that of inorganic substances ; the latter would 
appear to be the origin of that which is found in 
most mineral waters. It has a very powerful influ- 
ence on animals, acting as a poison when they are 
exposed to it in large quantities, and this the more 
strongly in proportion to their elevation in the scale 
of organization ; man seems the most susceptible 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 137 

of its deleterious agency ; I have pointed out 
the fact, that some of the lower animals not only- 
live in water impregnated with it, with impunity, 
but that they do not exist without it. Although 
there can be no question as to the activity of this 
gas as a poison, yet it is not correct to suppose, as 
many writers on poisons have done, that the symp- 
toms of persons exposed to the gases from drains, 
sewers, and other receptacles of decomposing 
animal and vegetable matter, are due only to 
sulphuretted hydrogen. We have not yet suffi- 
ciently advanced in the science of organic chemis- 
try, to be able to say positively what is the exact 
nature of the gases that escape from decomposing 
organized matters ; sulphuretted hydrogen is doubt- 
less one of them, but we must not consider that all 
the effects of such gases are referable to it alone. 
Nor does this gas appear to be the source of fever 
as some have supposed : Harrogate and Askern, 
and many places on the continent where this gas is 
given off, in considerable quantities, from the water, 
are remarkably free from all kinds of fevers. The 
waters of Africa (see page 98) have been supposed 
to abound with it, and to produce the frightful 
destruction of European life which occurs in that 
country ; in the late Niger expedition, every pre- 
caution was taken to divest the atmosphere of this 
gas, but without any preventive effect; the fever 
broke out, and thus confirmed the views of those 
w8 



138 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

who believed its ravages to be entirely independent 
of the sulphuretted hydrogen. 

This gas, like carburetted hydrogen and car- 
bonic acid, acts as a narcotic, its immediate effects 
being felt on the nervous system : when persons are 
largely exposed to its influence, torpor and drowsi- 
ness are produced, which are followed by coma, 
convulsions, and death from asphyxia. Like all 
narcotics, when taken in small quantities, its action 
is stimulant, and it is in this way that it becomes 
valuable as a medicine. It has been recommended 
by medical writers in various diseases ; Galen 
counselled its use in Phthisis ; Dalmas and 
Andral also bear testimony to its utility ; and the 
late Dr. Armstrong believed it would, when properly 
used, form a powerful resource, in this fatal malady. 
With regard to tubercular consumption, it ought, 
however, to be remarked, that we have at present 
little certain evidence that it can be cured after it is 
once really established: the boasted cures have 
usually been instances of some chronic affection 
of the mucous membranes of the air passages, which 
no practised stethoscopist could mistake for phthisis ; 
in these cases, sulphuretted hydrogen might pro- 
bably be of great service. Baudelocque speaks 
highly of it in chorea, and nervous maladies gener- 
ally ; and most writers agree that, where there is 
any undue or deranged action of the mucous mem- 
branes, it is a valuable remedy, and may with advant- 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 139 

age be administered, as in cases of bronchorrhea, 
dysentery, leucorrhea, &c. In chronic rheumatism, 
and the different forms of cutaneous disease, it is 
recommended both as a bath, and as an internal 
medicine ; as there is, however, some difficulty in 
its preparation, it is seldom used in this country, 
except when naturally presented, as in mineral 
waters ; it is, of all agents that enter into their 
composition, probably the most active and impor- 
tant, and the one to which most attention should be 
given in the attempt to estimate their effect on the 
human body. 

The Caroonic Acid and Nitrogen in the waters 
of Askern are not in sufficient quantity to require 
any lengthened notice; they probably assist the 
action of the sulphuretted hydrogen ; and, if this 
last should prove oppressive to the stomach, it will 
be relieved by that water which contains most car- 
bonic acid ; for this purpose, the Terrace bath well 
is the best at Askern. 

The saline matters are in too small a quantity 
to exert any powerful or peculiar effect on the 
system ; it is, however, very well known, that they 
act the more efficiently in proportion to their greater 
dilution. These waters frequently act as a purgative, 
but more generally as a diuretic ; however, should 
it in particular cases, be desirable to increase the 
former effect, any of the neutral salts may be added, 
as the sulphate of magnesia, tartrate of soda, &c. 



140 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

The sulphate of lime is, in some of the wells, in 
large quantity, and though not known to possess 
very active properties, it adds to their tonic effect • 
the difference in the proportion of this substance is 
felt in bathing, and those waters with the most sul- 
phate of lime are, c ceteris paribus, the most 
stimulating. 

Although a larger quantity of salts of various 
kinds than these waters contain, might, to some 
persons, be of advantage, yet, there can be little 
doubt that, in most cutaneous diseases, the more 
active forms of chronic rheumatism, and many cases 
of dyspepsia, the water, as a bath, is much more 
adapted to be useful without these adjuncts. Sir 
Arthur Clarke observes, that he has found " the 
warm salt-water bath injurious, in almost every 
species of cutaneous disorder, in consequence of the 
irritation produced by the particles of salt deposited 
on the skin ;" and, the advantage of the absence of 
salts is proved by the fact that persons who have 
derived no benefit in these diseases, from bathing in 
the waters of Harrogate, where there are large 
quantities of salts, have been cured by those of 
Ask em. 

The effects and the mode of drinking the waters 
of Askern are thus described by Mr. Brewerton : — 
" Soon after drinking a glass of Askern water, the 
gas rises in the throat, and sometimes the water ; 
a sense of weight is felt by some at the stomach, 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 141 

and occasionally slight nausea, or tendency to sick- 
ness ; sometimes there is dizziness, and a sensation 
of fullness in the head. Half a pint of the water, 
drunk two or three times a day, is a medium dose. 
It is generally drunk cold, but some prefer it warm, 
and indeed with delicate habits, and those who 
from drinking it experience a sense of weight at the 
stomach, it is found to agree better when taken 
warm, particularly at the commencement of the 
course. While continuing the use of the water, the 
sensible effects above mentioned either cease, or 
become less perceptible. During the drinking of 
the water, the urine becomes increased in quantity, 
and in some cases the bowels are relaxed, but, in 
general, this latter effect is not produced. Drink- 
ing the water alone, without bathing, appears to 
have proved most beneficial in complaints arising 
from indigestion, or connected with a deranged ac- 
tion of the stomach." 



142 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



SECTION V. 

ON THE DISEASES IN WHICH THE ASKERN WATER 
IS RECOMMENDED. 

With regard to sulphureous waters generally, Dr. 
Gairdner, in the admirable essay before alluded to, 
remarks, — " The general effects of these waters are 
stimulant ; and in this respect they are decidedly 
the reverse of the chalybeates, their effect being 
much more transient. Their action is chiefly 
exerted upon the liver and the system of the vena 
portae, also upon the mucous coats and the cutane- 
ous tissues. Sulphureous waters are extremely 
serviceable in gout and rheumatism, when these 
have degenerated into the chronic form, and in the 
stiffness and rigidities of the joints and ligaments, 
which continue long after the cessation of inflam- 
matory action ; in sprains and bruises, as well 
recent, as upon the numerous train of troublesome 
symptoms which they leave behind them ; in 
chlorosis and those multifarious derangements of 
the uterine system, with which the female constitu- 
tion so extensively sympathizes, this class of waters 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 143 

has acquired great and merited reputation ; and also 
in syphilitic disorders which have passed into the 
secondary stage, and become rooted in the consti- 
tution. But it is on the tegumentary system that 
their most special effects are apparent, to which 
sulphur, naturally a specific for many of its diseases, 
is thus presented in its most penetrating and active 
form, aided by the detergent power of the water 
itself. Accordingly in Lepra, Herpes, Scabies, 
Elephantiasis, &c, this has long been a remedy of 
the very first importance where it can be procured ; 
not merely as preparatory to the use of other sub- 
stances, by restoring pliancy and perspirability to the 
skin, and putting a stop to that continual desqua- 
mation of the cuticle, which is frequently one of 
the most obstinate symptoms with which the phy- 
sician has to contend ; but is itself also the sole 
agent under which all the formidable symptoms 
successively disappear." 

In endeavouring to form an estimate of the 
value of the waters of Astern, independent of a 
general belief of their utility in many diseases, I 
have availed myself of the reports of the cases 
which have been treated at the Bath Charity, and 
which have been recorded successively, during a 
period of nine years, by Mr. Richardson, Mr. 
Keyworth, and Dr. Oxley, all medical gentlemen 
resident at Askern : from these documents I have 
drawn up the following table. 



144 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

Patients treated from 1832 to 1836 :- 



Diseases. 


Cured. 


Relieved. 


Not 
benefited. 


Total. 


Rheumatism 

Cutaneous Diseases . . 


305 

60 

16 

8 

7 


78 

11 

2 






25 
3 
4 
3 
2 


408 
74 
22 




11 


Scrofula 


9 







In the reports from 1838 to 1840, no distinction 
is made between the cured and relieved : 



Diseases. 


Cured or 
relieved. 


Not 
benefited. 


Total. 




240 
56 
24 

8 

7 


20 
8 
4 
5 
5 


260 


Cutaneous Diseases 


64 
28 




13 




12 







The total number of cases treated at the Bath 
Charity, from 1832 to 1840 inclusive, was 1094, of 
which, 193 were diseases of various kinds which are 
not mentioned in the above tables. 

In making a few remarks on the treatment of 
those affections which have been most benefited by 
the waters of Askern, I shall give the experience of 
the medical men in the neighbourhood, rather than 
my own, and especially that of Mi\ Brewerton, who 
for so many years, carefully studied their effects ; I 
shall not, however, enter into any lengthened 
description of diseases, but merely indicate those 
that appear to have been, or are likely to be, relieved 
by the bathing in, or the drinking of, these waters. 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 145 

Rheumatism. — Of the various maladies which 
have been benefited, Rheumatism seems to stand 
first : it is in its chronic stages that persons should 
visit Askern ; in cases of old standing, where there 
is rigidity of the joints, attended with swelling, a 
course of baths, of a heat varying from 95 deg. to 
105 deg. will frequently effect a cure ; when pain 
alone is left, after an attack of acute rheumatism, a 
lower temperature may be employed, commencing 
at 82 degrees ; and gradually falling to that of the 
tepid, or even cold bath, if no increase of pain 
follow. 

Gout. — To those suffering from the sequelae of 
this disease, and who are disposed to submit to the 
necessary regimen, the baths of Askern promise 
much relief; it too frequently happens, however, 
that gout is met with in persons whose habits of 
indulgence in the luxuries of the table are so in- 
veterate, that they do anything but aid nature, and 
the appropriate remedies, in its prevention and cure. 

Cutaneous Diseases are amongst those most 
successfully treated at Askern, and many obstinate 
forms, which will not yield to ordinary methods of 
cure, obtain speedy relief from a course of sul- 
phureous waters. The artificial sulphuretted hy- 
drogen bath has been found, particularly in France, 
a most effective remedy. In some cases, the waters 
of Askern offer a great advantage over those, as at 
Harrogate, which contain a large quantity of saline 
o 



146 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

matter, and which are apt, consequently, to excite 
considerable irritation. I shall not here enter into 
any description of the various forms of cutaneous 
disease ; many of them are so transitory that persons 
will hardly resort to a watering place for their re- 
moval; the most obstinate of them are, Lepra, 
Psorisis, Impetigo, Eczema, Scabies, Lichen, 
Prurigo, and Acne : these diseases will often be 
cured by the warm or vapour-bath, combined with 
the internal use of tbe sulphureous water. I would 
here make a remark, which cannot be too generally 
borne in mind, that a disordered state of the 
digestive system is frequently the source of these 
complaints, and that unless attention be paid to the 
diet, persons may in vain anticipate relief from 
bathing in, or from drinking, mineral waters. 

Indigestion. — This is one of the most common 
forms of disease in the overworked and overfed com- 
munities of Great Britain ; on the one hand there 
are those who keep the powers, either of mind or 
body, or of both of them^so constantly on the stretch, 
that they absorb, as it were, the stimulus which is 
necessary to enable the stomach to digest its food, 
and they become the victims of indigestion ; on the 
other hand there are those, whose circumstances in 
life enable them to indulge in the pleasures of the 
table, and to gratify the sense of taste at the expense 
of the stomach, and who consequently pay a severe 
penalty for overtasking this organ. In the various 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 147 

forms of this protean disease, and source of disease, 
it is not to be supposed that the simple administra- 
tion of a sulphur water will cure ; but, as the skin, 
and the kidneys, and other secretory organs, sympa- 
thize with the stomach in its various derangements, 
the bathing in, and drinking the waters of Askern, 
will often be attended with the best effects. The 
absence of the causes of indigestion will have singly 
a decided influence, and a medical practitioner will 
perhaps oftener display his skill in sending his 
patients to a watering place, than in ordering them 
powerful medicines. 

In that form of the disease in which phthisis 
frequently originates, and which has been called by 
Dr. Todd, strumous dyspepsia, the use of the 
Askern wafer would probably be of more use than 
many others as there is always a morbid condition 
of the mucous membranes, which, although it may 
be attended with constipation, would be increased 
by waters containing a large amount of aperient 
salts. These cases most commonly occur in the 
midst of densely populated towns, where pure air 
and warm bathing, both important elements in the 
treatment, are rarely obtained, and lightly valued. 

Paralysis or Palsy. — This affection, varying in 
degree, from the derangement of the sensation or 
motion of a part, to the loss of the entire sensation 
and motion of the lower or lateral half of the body, 
frequently resists the best directed treatment. Its 



148 NATURAL HISTORY OF 

causes are various, and according to these will be the 
probability of its cure ; when it depends on the in- 
troduction of metallic poisons, or on functional 
derangement of any part of the nervous sjstem, 
relief may be anticipated. In obstinate cases, the 
hot-bath has been strongly recommended, and it has 
been observed that persons in this, can bear a much 
higher temperature, and that for a longer time, than 
in any other diseased state ; care must, however, be 
taken that there is no tendency to apoplexy, under 
which circumstances the hot-bath would be likely 
to destroy life. 

Scrofula. — There are two widely different con- 
stitutions in which this disease manifests itself; in 
the one there is a rapid pulse, and all the functions 
betray excitement; in the other it is slow and 
languid, and the whole system exhibits a want of 
action ; in cases indicating the sluggish habit of 
body, the stimulant influence of sulphureous waters 
has been found very beneficial. 

There are many forms of chronic disease, and 
nervous derangement, for which, on the principles 
before laid down, we may expect relief from the 
judicious use of sulphureous waters ; if it be borne 
in mind, that their action is generally stimulant, and 
that by their external and internal application, the 
functions of the skin, of the mucous membranes of 
the stomach and intestines, and also of the kidneys, 
may be promoted, the judicious practitioner of 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 149 

medicine will not be at a loss as to the kind of cases 
likely to be benefited by a residence at Askern. 
Most writers on sulphureous waters have recom- 
mended them, in chlorosis, leucorrhea, bronchorrhea, 
chronic dysentery, secondary syphilis, &c. : the 
diseases in which they are contra-indicated are 
those in which there is a tendency to inflammatory 
action, febrile excitement, or over-excitement of the 
nervous system. 



350 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



SECTION VI. 

RULES TO BE OBSERVED DURING THE USE OF THE 
ASKERN WATERS. 

Moderation should be strictly practised both in 
eating and drinking ; plain animal and vegetable 
food may be taken in most cases ; spirits, wine, and 
ale should be generally avoided by persons visiting 
Ask em for health ; at the same time, there are many 
whose nervous system requires some stimulant, 
especially if long accustomed to its use. Early 
rising and retiring to rest, are advisable, and eight, 
nine, or ten hours repose in bed should be secured 
by the invalid ; crowded rooms are prejudicial, both 
on account of the excitement, and the impure air 
which is necessarily inhaled in large assemblies. 

The muscular system should be daily exercised, 
and always, when the weather permits, out of doors ; 
the blood in the lungs is thus brought in contact with 
the oxygen of the atmosphere, and an invigoration 
of the whole frame is the result, which cannot be 
procured in any other manner ; walking is the best 
and most natural exercise. The practice of reading 



ASKERN AND ITS WATERS. 151 

during a walk is detrimental ; the attention will be 
more healthily occupied by the interesting and ever- 
varying objects of the external world. 

The water should be drunk before breakfast, 
one, two, or three glasses, according as the stomach 
will bear it; the dose may be repeated between 
breakfast and dinner, the latter of which meals 
should, by all valetudinarians, be taken early, T 
mean thereby, about six hours after rising ; the 
evening is a favourable time for a third dose ; it has 
been employed as a beverage at meals, but this I 
should not advise, for it is not probable that the 
nauseous draught can then be productive of advan- 
tage. It is best taken cold, where it thus agrees 
with the stomach, but when this is not the case, the 
water from the springs should have heated water 
added to it, until a suitable temperature is obtained. 
Some persons dissolve in it the Epsom salts, an 
unnecessary addition in the large majority of cases ; 
where such a remedy is required, I should recom- 
mend, in preference, a dose of some aperient 
medicine, as rhubarb and magnesia, to this adul- 
teration of the natural spring. 



DONCASTER : 

PRINTED BY R. HARTLEY, BAXTER-GATE. 






